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 square brackets completely before multiplying it.
3[4-8+4^2(2+5)]
Notice also that even within this parenthetical expression, we must obey the order of operations.
4-8+4^2(2+5)
For this, we must remember to evaluate the expression in parentheses first, then evaluate the exponent and multiply these values and at the end subtract and add terms.
Operation
Before Simplification
After Simplification
Add terms
3[4-8+4^2( 2+5)]
3[4-8+4^2( 7)]
Calculate power
3[4-8+ 4^2(7)]
3[4-8+ 16(7)]
Multiply
3[4-8+ 16(7)]
3[4-8+ 112]
Add and subtract terms
3[ 3-8+112]
3[ 108]
Multiply
3[108]
324
The expression equals 324.
Alternative Solution
Using a Calculator
We can also evaluate this expression using a calculator. To do so, type it as shown below.
