Final answer:
The expression 3 - 3 x 6 + 2, following the order of operations, is calculated as 3 - 18 + 2, which equals -13.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the mathematical expression 3 - 3 x 6 + 2, we must follow the order of operations, often remembered by the acronym PEMDAS, which stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right). In the absence of parentheses and exponents, we perform multiplication before addition and subtraction.
Following these rules, we start by multiplying 3 by 6. The expression now looks like this:
3 - (3 x 6) + 2
3 - 18 + 2
Next, we perform the subtraction and then the addition:
(3 - 18) + 2
-15 + 2
-13
Therefore, the correct answer to the expression is -13.