Solve the Arithmetic Expression: 9+3-5 Step by Step

Q: Why do I go left to right instead of doing addition first?

Addition and subtraction have equal precedence, so we follow the left-to-right rule. This prevents confusion and ensures everyone gets the same answer!

Q: What if I accidentally did 3 - 5 first and still got 7?

You got lucky this time! Doing $ 3 - 5 = -2 $, then $ 9 + (-2) = 7 $ happens to work, but this method will fail with other problems.

Q: Is there a way to check my work?

Yes! Work backwards: if $ 9 + 3 - 5 = 7 $, then $ 7 + 5 = 12 $ and $ 12 - 3 = 9 $. You should get back to your starting number!

Order of Operations with Mixed Addition and Subtraction

$9+3-5=\text{ ?}$

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Understand the problem

$9+3-5=\text{ ?}$

Step-by-step solution

To solve $9 + 3 - 5$ :

Start with the addition: $9 + 3 = 12$
Then perform the subtraction: $12 - 5 = 7$
Therefore, the final answer is $7$ .

Final Answer

$7$

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Rule: Follow left-to-right order when operations have equal precedence
Technique: Calculate $9 + 3 = 12$ first, then $12 - 5 = 7$
Check: Verify by working backwards: $7 + 5 = 12$ and $12 - 3 = 9$ ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Doing subtraction before addition
Don't calculate 3 - 5 = -2 first, then 9 + (-2) = 7! This seems to work here by luck, but breaks the fundamental left-to-right rule and will cause errors in more complex problems. Always work from left to right when addition and subtraction have equal priority.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

$$ 8 - 2 + 6 = $$

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

Why do I go left to right instead of doing addition first?

Addition and subtraction have equal precedence, so we follow the left-to-right rule. This prevents confusion and ensures everyone gets the same answer!

What if I accidentally did 3 - 5 first and still got 7?

You got lucky this time! Doing $3 - 5 = -2$ , then $9 + (-2) = 7$ happens to work, but this method will fail with other problems.

Is there a way to check my work?

Yes! Work backwards: if $9 + 3 - 5 = 7$ , then $7 + 5 = 12$ and $12 - 3 = 9$ . You should get back to your starting number!

Do I need parentheses for problems like this?

No parentheses needed! Since we're only using addition and subtraction, just follow the left-to-right rule. Parentheses would only be necessary if you wanted to change the order.

What's the difference between this and PEMDAS?

This problem only uses addition and subtraction (the AS in PEMDAS). Since they have equal priority, we simply work left to right. No parentheses, exponents, or multiplication/division here!

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