Exercise 21 Page 13

Pay close attention to the order of operations.

Practice makes perfect

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 parentheses before calculating the exponent. 80 - (4-1)^3 Let's evaluate the expression step-by-step.

Operation	Before Simplification	After Simplification
Subtract term	80 - ( 4-1)^3	80 - 3^3
Calculate power	80 - 3^3	80 - 27
Subtract term	80 - 27	53

The expression equals 53.

Alternative Solution

Using a Calculator

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

Subchapter links

Lesson Check p.13

Practice and Problem-Solving Exercises p.13-15

Standardized Test Prep p.15

Mixed Review p.15

Exercise 21 Page 13

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Alternative Solution