Answer to the Math Problem of the Week for March 4, 2014

Question:  For the problem 2 + 3 × 5^2, Jordan got the answer 125. What is incorrect about Jordan’s answer and what is the correct answer?

Answer:  77

Jordan got the answer by doing 5^2 first, then doing 2+3, then multiplying those answers together. This is incorrect because it does not follow the order of operations. The order of operations is PEMDAS:

P - Parenthesis. There are no parentheses in this problem.
E - Exponents. First step in this problem - 5^2. So, 2 + 3 x 25.
M - Multiplication. Second step in this problem - 3 x 25. So, 2 + 75.
D - Division. No division in this problem.
A - Addition. 2 + 75 = 77.
S - Subtraction. No subtraction in this problem.

The answer is 77.