According to the order of operations, expressions inside parentheses and other grouping symbols 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 evaluating the product.
2[(8-4)^5 ÷ 8 ]Also notice that even within the square brackets, we must obey the order of operations.
(8-4)^5 ÷ 8
For this, we must remember to evaluate the difference inside the parentheses first, then the exponent and the quotient next. Finally, we can evaluate the product outside the square brackets.
Operation
Before Simplification
After Simplification
Subtract term
2[( 8- 4)^5 ÷ 8 ]
2[ 4^5 ÷ 8 ]
Calculate power
2[ 4^5 ÷ 8 ]
2[ 1024 ÷ 8 ]
Calculate quotient
2[ 1024 ÷ 8 ]
2[ 128 ]
Multiply
2[ 128 ]
256
The expression equals 256.
Alternative Solution
Using a Calculator
We can also evaluate this expression using a calculator. To do so, type it as shown below.
