Final answer:
In the expression 144 + 36 x 2, multiplication is performed first, according to the order of operations.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the expression 144 + 36 x 2, the operation performed first is multiplication.
This is because in the order of operations, multiplication is done before addition.
So, you would first multiply 36 and 2, which equals 72, and then add 144 to get the final answer of 216.
Learn more about Order of Operations