Exercise 5 Page 1

According to the order of operations, expressions inside parentheses are evaluated first, and addition and subtraction are evaluated last. For the given expression, this means evaluating the expression inside the parentheses completely before multiplying it by 12. 1/2(2^2+22)

Notice also, that even within this parenthetical expression, we must obey the order of operations. 2^2+22 We must remember to evaluate the exponent first, and after that add the result to 22.

Operation	Before Simplification	After Simplification
Calculate power	1/2(2 ^2+22)	1/2( 4+22)
Add terms	1/2( 4+22)	1/2( 26)
Multiply	1/2(26)	13

The expression equals 13.

Alternative Solution

Using a Calculator

We can also evaluate this expression using a calculator. To do so, type it as shown below.