this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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What math operation order do you use? (lemmy.world)
submitted 3 days ago by TotallyWorthLife@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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I have seen several people saying the order operation is

  • Brackets/Parenthesis
  • Orders (roots and powers)
  • Divisions
  • Multiplications
  • Subtractions
  • Additions

But I was taught it as

  • Brackets/Parenthesis
  • Roots and powers, left to right (independently of the exact operation)
  • Divisions and multiplications, left to right (independently of the exact operation)
  • Subtractions and additions, left to right (independently of the exact operation)

So, what order were you taught and/or use today?

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[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

This are equivalent because the order of multiplications/divisions and the order of additions/subtractions doesn’t affect the end result.

Also in general if the order of operations in your equation isn’t clear without thinking about it you are doing it wrong and need to add some parenthesis.

Also caveat: on a computer the order of operations can matter in more detail due to floating point errors, and you may want to add extra parenthesis to control it.