Question

Simplify the expression.

3[(15-3)^2 divide 4]

A; 9
B; 108
C; 18
D; 36

Answer 1

\[3[(15-3)^2\div4\]

Answer 2

\[\large 3\left[(\color{red}{15-3})^2 \div 4\right]\]Understand what to do first?
Let's deal with the red part, simplify the inner brackets before we deal with the exponent.

Answer 3

\[\large 3\left[(\color{red}{12})^2 \div 4\right]\]That part make sense?

Answer 4

Yeah 15-3 = 12.

Answer 5

\[\large 3\left[\color{red}{(\color{black}{12})^2} \div 4\right]\]Ok good, now we want to deal with the exponent. :)
What does 12^2 give you?

Answer 6

36

Answer 7

\(\large 12^2\) is the same as \(\large 12 \times 12\).

Answer 8

Right.

Answer 9

It's a bit larger than 36 :)
If you can't remember, maybe use a calculator for this step.

Answer 10

Oh or did you mean 36 for the final answer? :D

Answer 11

Oh whoops I did 112x12 divided by 4 hold on.

Answer 12

12x12 divided by 4*

Answer 13

12x12 = 144.

Answer 14

Yah that sounds right, if you jumped ahead and did the divide by 4, yes you get 36.

Answer 15

That was actually pretty easy.

Answer 16

So that leaves you with this right?\[\large 3\left[36\right]\]

Answer 17

Yeah. So the correct answer for this problem is 36?

Answer 18

No we have a 3 being multiplied on the outside. See the brackets?

Answer 19

3 x 36

Don't let the fact that they're square brackets confuse you.
Round brackets and square brackets mean the same thing, multiplication.

Answer 20

Right.

Answer 21

So we get a final answer of 3 x 36 = 108

Answer 22

Ohh. I see now.

Answer 23

The things that's tricky about a problem like this is that you need to remember your `order of operations`.

PEMDAS

P - Parentheses first
E - Exponents next
M/D - Then multiplication and division, from left to right
A/S - Then finally, addition and subtraction, from left to right.

Answer 24

Copied that.

Answer 25

cool c:

Answer 26

Thanks a lot man!

Answer 27

np c: