Question

Using the order of operations, what should be done first to evaluate (-2) + 4- (-15 * 9/3) - 42?

a. Add -15 and 9.
b. Divide 4 by -15.
c. Subtract 4 from 3.
d. Multiply 9 by 3.

Answer 1

To evaluate the expression (-2) + 4 - (-15 * 9/3) - 42 using the order of operations, simplify the multiplication and division within parentheses first. Then solve the expression from left to right to obtain the final result of 9.

Step-by-step explanation:

To evaluate the expression (-2) + 4 - (-15 * 9/3) - 42 using the order of operations, we start by simplifying the multiplication and division within parentheses.

First, we calculate -15 * 9/3 = -45.

Then, we substitute this value back into the expression and solve from left to right:

(-2) + 4 - (-45) - 42 = -2 + 4 + 45 - 42 = 47 - 38 = 9.