According to the order of operations, expressions that include an exponent are evaluated first, while division is evaluated next. For the given expression, this means calculating the power in the numerator before calculating the quotient.
Operation
Before Simplification
After Simplification
Calculate power
5^2/2
25/2
Calculate quotient
25/2
12.5
The expression equals 12.5.
Alternative Solution
Using a Calculator
We can also evaluate this expression using a calculator. To do so, type it as shown below.
