Working with Numbers - Try It Out Problem 2

The key idea: The order of operations may need to be emphasized again, especially the proper use of parentheses to evaluate the denominator correctly.

Solution Steps for Problem 2:

Answer:

Recall the order of operations is Parentheses, Exponentiation, Multiplication or Division, Addition or Subtraction.
One "tricky" part was covered in "Working with Numbers:" -1^2 is evaluated as -1, since the exponentiation is done before the negation.
Another step that you might miss is putting the denominator inside parentheses, since 3^2 is divided by the WHOLE denominator.
Entering the following key strokes in a T1-82 style calculator produces the answer:
```
3 ^ 2 / ( 1 + ( 22 / 3 + 4 * ( - (1 ^ 2) ) ) ) ENTER
```
Answer: 2.076923077

Try another problem like this one.

Developed by

Shodor
in cooperation with the Department of Chemistry,
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill