Question

1. if the expression 3 - 4^2 + 2 is evaluated, what would be done last? explain.

Explanation:

Step1: Follow order - of - operations

In the expression $3 - 4^{2}+2$, first calculate the exponent. So, $4^{2}=16$. The expression becomes $3 - 16+2$.

Step2: Perform subtraction and addition from left - to - right

First, $3-16=- 13$. Then, $-13 + 2=-11$. The last operation is addition.

Answer:

The last operation is addition. We follow the order - of - operations (PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division from left - to - right, Addition and Subtraction from left - to - right). After calculating the exponent $4^{2}$, we perform subtraction and addition from left - to - right, and the final step is adding $-13$ and $2$.