Order of Operations (Introduction) for 4th Grade

Order of operations tells us which step to do first when an expression has more than one operation. In Grade 4, students get an introduction to this idea: we do multiplication and division before addition and subtraction (unless parentheses tell us otherwise). A common way to remember is “Multiply and Divide before you Add and Subtract,” or MDAS.

For example, in 3 + 4 × 2, we do 4 × 2 first (get 8), then add 3 to get 11. If we did 3 + 4 first, we would get 7 × 2 = 14, which is wrong. Following the correct order ensures everyone gets the same answer.

DETAILED EXPLANATION

The standard order is: 1) Do operations inside parentheses first. 2) Then do multiplication and division from left to right. 3) Then do addition and subtraction from left to right. In Grade 4, expressions are usually simple: a mix of +, −, ×, and ÷ without exponents. Example: 10 − 2 × 3. First do 2 × 3 = 6, then 10 − 6 = 4.

Parentheses override the usual order. Whatever is inside parentheses is done first. For example, (10 − 2) × 3 = 8 × 3 = 24, which is different from 10 − 2 × 3 = 4.

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WORKED EXAMPLES WITH STEP BY STEP SOLUTIONS

Example 1

Find the value of 5 + 3 × 4.

Solutions:

Step 1: The expression has addition and multiplication. We do multiplication first.

Step 2: 3 × 4 = 12.

Step 3: 5 + 12 = 17.

Answer: 17

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Example 2

Find the value of (6 − 2) × 5.

Solutions:

Step 1: Do the operation inside parentheses first: 6 − 2 = 4.

Step 2: Then multiply: 4 × 5 = 20.

Answer: 20

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