Solve the Arithmetic Sequence: 7 + 4 - 2

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

Addition and subtraction have equal precedence in order of operations. When operations are equal, you must work left to right. This rule becomes very important in longer expressions!

Q: What if I accidentally did 7 + (4 - 2) instead?

That would give you $ 7 + 2 = 9 $, which happens to be the same answer! But this is just lucky - in expressions like $ 8 - 3 + 1 $, grouping wrong would give a different result.

Q: How can I remember the left-to-right rule?

Think of it like reading a sentence - you read from left to right! When addition and subtraction are mixed together, treat them like words in a sentence and work through them in order.

Q: Does this rule apply to multiplication and division too?

Yes! Multiplication and division also have equal precedence, so you work left to right with them too. For example: $ 12 ÷ 4 × 2 = 3 × 2 = 6 $

Q: What's the easiest way to avoid mistakes?

Write out each step clearly! Show $ 7 + 4 = 11 $ first, then $ 11 - 2 = 9 $. This way you can see that you're working left to right correctly.

Order of Operations with Mixed Addition and Subtraction

$7+4-2=\text{ ?}$

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Understand the problem

$7+4-2=\text{ ?}$

Step-by-step solution

To solve the expression $7 + 4 - 2$ , follow these steps:

Add the first two numbers: $7 + 4 = 11$
Subtract the third number from the result: $11 - 2 = 9$

Thus, the answer is $9$ .

Final Answer

$9$

Key Points to Remember

Essential concepts to master this topic

Rule: Work left to right when operations have equal precedence
Technique: First add 7 + 4 = 11, then subtract 11 - 2 = 9
Check: Verify by calculating step-by-step: 11 - 2 gives final answer 9 ✓

Common Mistakes

Avoid these frequent errors

Doing subtraction before addition
Don't calculate 4 - 2 = 2 first, then add 7 + 2 = 9! This ignores left-to-right order and can give wrong results in more complex problems. Always work from left to right when addition and subtraction appear together.

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge with interactive questions

$$ 8 - 2 + 6 = $$

FAQ

Everything you need to know about this question

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

Addition and subtraction have equal precedence in order of operations. When operations are equal, you must work left to right. This rule becomes very important in longer expressions!

What if I accidentally did 7 + (4 - 2) instead?

That would give you $7 + 2 = 9$ , which happens to be the same answer! But this is just lucky - in expressions like $8 - 3 + 1$ , grouping wrong would give a different result.

How can I remember the left-to-right rule?

Think of it like reading a sentence - you read from left to right! When addition and subtraction are mixed together, treat them like words in a sentence and work through them in order.

Does this rule apply to multiplication and division too?

Yes! Multiplication and division also have equal precedence, so you work left to right with them too. For example: $12 ÷ 4 × 2 = 3 × 2 = 6$

What's the easiest way to avoid mistakes?

Write out each step clearly! Show $7 + 4 = 11$ first, then $11 - 2 = 9$ . This way you can see that you're working left to right correctly.

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