Final answer:
To determine which operation to perform first in a problem involving both multiplication/division and addition/subtraction, one should follow the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS), which dictates that multiplication and division precede addition and subtraction.
Step-by-step explanation:
When encountering a math problem that involves both multiplication/division and addition/subtraction, one should perform the operations according to the order of operations, commonly known as PEMDAS or BODMAS. This dictates that you must perform any multiplication or division before moving on to addition or subtraction. This set of rules helps to ensure that everyone solves math problems in a consistent way and gets the same answer.
Therefore, when you see a problem with multiple operations, you should first look for any brackets or parentheses and solve those parts of the problem. Next, you should handle any exponents or powers. Only after these steps should you carry out multiplication and division operations, from left to right as they appear in the problem. Lastly, you will perform addition and subtraction, also from left to right. Remembering this sequence of operations will help you approach math problems systematically and accurately.