According to the order of operations, expressions inside parentheses are evaluated first, while addition and subtraction are evaluated last. For the given expression, this means evaluating the expression inside the brackets completely before evaluating the addition.
(3^2-8)+4
Notice also that even within this parenthetical expression, we must obey the order of operations.
3^2-8
For this, we must remember to evaluate the exponent first before calculating the difference.
Operation
Before Simplification
After Simplification
Calculate power
(3^2-8)+4
( 9-8)+4
Subtract term
( 9- 8)+4
( 1)+4
Add terms
( 1)+ 4
5
The expression equals 5.
Alternative Solution
Using a Calculator
We can also evaluate this expression using a calculator. To do so, type it as shown below.
