Consider the equation . The value of this expression is , or 25, due to what is called the order of operations, or precedence. When ambiguous, an operation of a higher kind is performed first. For simple equations, operations are ordered from highest to lowest as follows:

1. Parenthesization,

2. Factorial,

3. Exponentiation,

4. Multiplication and division,

5. Addition and subtraction.

For more complex operations, the order of operations depends on the system.

This entry contributed by Ed Pegg, Jr. (author's link)

Wolfram Research, Inc. "§A.2.7. Operator Input Forms." http://documents.wolfram.com/mathematica/book/section-A.2.7.

CITE THIS AS:

Pegg, Ed Jr. "Precedence." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource, created by Eric W. Weisstein. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/Precedence.html