What do parentheses mean in math?

Parentheses, also called round brackets, wrap the part of a calculation that must be worked out before anything around it. In (6 + 4) × 3, you add first, and 10 × 3 = 30. Without them, 6 + 4 × 3 multiplies first, so 6 + 12 = 18. The numbers and signs stay the same, yet the answer changes.

How do you solve a long calculation step by step?

Work through it in passes, and rewrite the line after each one. First finish anything inside brackets. Next do every multiplication and division, from left to right. Last do every addition and subtraction, also from left to right. For 3 × (4 + 5) − 6, the brackets give 3 × 9 − 6, multiplying gives 27 − 6, and the answer is 21.

Is PEMDAS a good way to remember the order of operations?

PEMDAS, also taught as BODMAS, works well once you know its catch. The letters stand for parentheses or brackets, exponents or orders (powers such as 3², which means 3 × 3), then multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. The catch is that multiplication and division share one step, taken from left to right, and so do addition and subtraction. So 12 ÷ 3 × 2 is 8, not 2.

Why does my child keep working from left to right?

The habit often comes from reading: we read words from left to right, so children do the same with signs. A simple pocket calculator can make it worse, because many of them work out each step as it is typed and show 50 for 6 + 4 × 5, not 26. Before your child writes anything, ask them to circle every × in the line.

Is this PEMDAS game free, and does it work in class?

Yes, both levels open free in a browser tab, with no account and no download. For a quick round of BODMAS practice, write 4 + 6 × 2 − 1 on the board and ask where one pair of brackets gives the biggest answer: (4 + 6) × 2 − 1 = 19 wins. After that, each pupil plays both levels on a tablet. Schools that want to track who is improving can add the schools plan, priced per student, with its teacher dashboard.

Math practice · reimagined

Order of Operations Game

In this order of operations fight, every problem mixes × with + or − across a line of one-digit numbers, and level two adds brackets, as in (9 + 7) × 9. Get the steps in the right order before your rival does, and the punch is yours.

Ages 4–99+ · no download · plays in your browser · 23 languages

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What is the order of operations?

The order of operations is the agreed rule for which step comes first when a calculation mixes signs. Anything inside brackets ( ) goes first, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. Picture 3 apples plus 2 bags of 5 apples. That is 3 + 2 × 5, and you hold 13 apples, not 25.

Every level of Order of ops

Example: 8 + 9 × 5 − 4, with the × in the middle

Look along the whole line for a × before you start: here it joins the 9 and the 5.
Work that part out first. 9 × 5 = 45, so the line becomes 8 + 45 − 4.
Only + and − are left, so go from left to right: 8 + 45 = 53, then 53 − 4 = 49.
You type 49. Working straight through from the left would give 81, a miss.

Learn it step by step

When a problem mixes plus, minus, and times, you don't just go left to right — there's an order everyone agrees on, so we all get the same answer.

The rule: do the × (and ÷) FIRST, then the + and − afterwards. So 2 + 3 × 4 is NOT 5 × 4. You do 3 × 4 = 12 first, then 2 + 12 = 14. The multiplication is like a tight little package that has to be opened before anything else.

Find the × in the problem, work it out, then finish the adding and subtracting. Type the final number.

Tips and common mistakes

Think of + and − as cuts that split the line into blocks. Work out each block on its own, then join them: 3 × 4 + 2 × 5 is 12 + 10, so 22.
A common slip is multiplying only the first number inside the brackets. 5 × (2 + 4) is not 10 + 4. Add first to get 6, then 5 × 6 = 30.
Roll three dice and find every answer one + and one × can make. With 5, 3 and 2, 5 + 3 × 2 is 11, while 5 × 3 + 2 is 17.

How to play

A line such as 7 − 6 + 3 × 4 or (9 + 7) × 9 drops between the fighters, and you type its final value on the keypad. The × may come first, in the middle or last, so read to the end. Answer before your rival and Mushroom strikes; the less time you take, the more it hurts.

— Quick answers —

Order of ops: the short FAQ

What do parentheses mean in math?: Parentheses, also called round brackets, wrap the part of a calculation that must be worked out before anything around it. In (6 + 4) × 3, you add first, and 10 × 3 = 30. Without them, 6 + 4 × 3 multiplies first, so 6 + 12 = 18. The numbers and signs stay the same, yet the answer changes.
How do you solve a long calculation step by step?: Work through it in passes, and rewrite the line after each one. First finish anything inside brackets. Next do every multiplication and division, from left to right. Last do every addition and subtraction, also from left to right. For 3 × (4 + 5) − 6, the brackets give 3 × 9 − 6, multiplying gives 27 − 6, and the answer is 21.
Is PEMDAS a good way to remember the order of operations?: PEMDAS, also taught as BODMAS, works well once you know its catch. The letters stand for parentheses or brackets, exponents or orders (powers such as 3², which means 3 × 3), then multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. The catch is that multiplication and division share one step, taken from left to right, and so do addition and subtraction. So 12 ÷ 3 × 2 is 8, not 2.
Why does my child keep working from left to right?: The habit often comes from reading: we read words from left to right, so children do the same with signs. A simple pocket calculator can make it worse, because many of them work out each step as it is typed and show 50 for 6 + 4 × 5, not 26. Before your child writes anything, ask them to circle every × in the line.
Is this PEMDAS game free, and does it work in class?: Yes, both levels open free in a browser tab, with no account and no download. For a quick round of BODMAS practice, write 4 + 6 × 2 − 1 on the board and ask where one pair of brackets gives the biggest answer: (4 + 6) × 2 − 1 = 19 wins. After that, each pupil plays both levels on a tablet. Schools that want to track who is improving can add the schools plan, priced per student, with its teacher dashboard.

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