It probably didn't occur to you to put a parentheses between the two digits of 16, separating it into a 1 and a 6. It also may not have occurred to you to put a parentheses before the -4 making it a multiplied "negative four" rather than a "subtracted four". 1(6(-4/2)+3*(3+7)) <--- answer which equals 1(6(-2)+3*(3+7)) 1(6(-2)+3*(10)) 1(-12+3*(10)) 1(-12+30) 1(18) 18 Edwin