Use the Language of Algebra

Read the section beginning with "Simplify Expressions Using the Order of Operations". Pay special attention to the rules for performing multi-step calculations.

Many students remember the order of operations using the silly phrase Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, where the first letter of each word corresponds to a mathematical operation: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction.

Do Examples 2.8–2.12 and check your answers. If you need additional practice, you can do Try It exercises 2.15–2.24.