The order in which parts of a
mathematical equation must be completed. Not dictated by any innate properties of the
universe, but simply a standard created by
mathematicians so you wouldn't get a dozen different answers from the same equation.
The order of operations is: things inside
brackets, things inside
parentheses,
exponents and
roots,
multiplication,
division,
addition,
subtraction.
See:
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally