document.write( "Question 318478: (120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r
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Algebra.Com's Answer #227937 by Edwin McCravy(20056) $\"\"$ $\"About$

You can put this solution on YOUR website!

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document.write( "(120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "Think of  as  because\r\n" );
document.write( "multiplication does not necessarily precede division, nor does addition\r\n" );
document.write( "necessarily precede subtraction.  In those two cases whichever one comes first\r\n" );
document.write( "going left to right takes precedence.  In other words in your problem, the\r\n" );
document.write( "division will take precedence over the multiplication because the division\r\n" );
document.write( "symbol comes before the multiplication symbol.\r\n" );
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document.write( "(120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "In , \"P\" comes first. We see (120 - 62), so\r\n" );
document.write( "instead of that we will do that first and replace the parentheses with the\r\n" );
document.write( "number 58 and copy everything else over, like this\r\n" );
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document.write( "(120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
document.write( "        58 ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "In , \"P\" comes first.  But there are no\r\n" );
document.write( "parentheses, so we go on to the \"E\".  But there are no exponents, so we go on\r\n" );
document.write( "to .  So we look for multiplications or divisions,\r\n" );
document.write( "whichever comes first going left to right.  We come to the division first going\r\n" );
document.write( "left to right. We see 58 ÷ 4 and so we will do that first and replace the \r\n" );
document.write( "58 ÷ 4 with the number  reduced to  and copy everything\r\n" );
document.write( "else over, like this:\r\n" );
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document.write( "(120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
document.write( "        58 ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
document.write( "            × 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "The only thing left to do is the multiplication.  The 2 cancels into the 8 and\r\n" );
document.write( "leaves \r\n" );
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document.write( "(120 - 62) ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
document.write( "        58 ÷ 4 × 8\r\n" );
document.write( "            × 8\r\n" );
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document.write( "           \r\n" );
document.write( "           \r\n" );
document.write( "           \r\n" );
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document.write( "Edwin

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