What would be the third step in simplifying the expression 3 + (9 - 5) 2 ÷ 8?

exponent
subtraction
addition
division

1 answer

To simplify the expression \( 3 + (9 - 5) \cdot 2 \div 8 \), we follow the order of operations, which is typically remembered by the acronym PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right)).

Let’s break it down step by step:

  1. Parentheses: Simplify inside the parentheses first. \[ 9 - 5 = 4 \] Now the expression is: \[ 3 + 4 \cdot 2 \div 8 \]

  2. Multiplication and Division: Next, we perform multiplication and division from left to right. We do the multiplication first: \[ 4 \cdot 2 = 8 \] Now the expression becomes: \[ 3 + 8 \div 8 \]

  3. Now we perform the division: \[ 8 \div 8 = 1 \] Thus the expression simplifies to: \[ 3 + 1 \]

  4. Finally, we perform the addition: \[ 3 + 1 = 4 \]

So, the third step in simplifying the expression \( 3 + (9 - 5) \cdot 2 \div 8 \) is division.