Operations: Parenthesis

Mr. Squeaks is working on some blueprints for a hot air balloon and Imani has already gathered the materials needed. To know how many pieces of cardboard and how many balloons are needed Mr. Squeaks needs to solve problems with parentheses. Operations: Parentheses. Parentheses are rounded brackets. They show what needs to be solved first in an equation. Let's look at the steps to follow when solving equations with parentheses. First, solve inside the parentheses. Second, rewrite the equation. Repeat step one and two until all parentheses are solved. Finally, solve the equation. Parentheses are mostly used in multi-step problems like this. Parentheses are important, because if you don't solve them first, the solution will be wrong. Let me show you why it is important to solve parentheses first. Let's solve this equation first, ignoring the parentheses. If you ignore these parentheses, we solve eight minus two, which is six. Then solve six plus six, which gives a sum of twelve. Now let's look at this equation, following the rules for parentheses. This time, we look at the parentheses here. Inside here we need to find the sum of two plus six which is eight. Now we can leave the parentheses out, and rewrite the equation. Next, find eight subtract eight which equals zero. What do you notice? This solution is incorrect, because we didn't solve inside the parentheses first. This solution is correct, because we followed the steps for solving parentheses first. This is why solving inside the parentheses first is very important. Now you can solve problems with parentheses, let's help Mr. Squeaks calculate the number of cardboard pieces needed. The equation we need to solve is fifteen divided by one plus two, with one plus two in parentheses. What is your first step? Solve inside the parentheses first, so find the sum of one and two. The sum is three, and we rewrite the equation below. Do you know what fifteen divided by three equals? Fifteen divided by three is five. Mr. Squeaks needs five pieces of cardboard to make the basket. Now let's help Mr. Squeaks calculate how many balloons are needed. However, the balloons equation has multiple steps, which is why solving all parentheses first is important. The equation given is ten plus two divided by three minus one, with ten plus two in parentheses, and three minus one in parentheses. What is your first step? First you solve inside the left parentheses, which is ten plus two. What is the sum of ten plus two? The sum is twelve, so rewrite the equation below. What is your next step? Solve the remaining parentheses. Do you know what three minus one is? Three minus one equals two. What should you do next? You need to rewrite your equation underneath. There are no more parentheses, so you can find the solution. Do you know what twelve divided by two is? Twelve divided by two is six, so Mr. Squeaks needs six balloons for the hot air balloon. Remember, when solving equations with parentheses, first solve inside the parentheses. Second, rewrite the equation. Repeat step one and two until all parentheses are solved, and finally, solve the equation. Wow, it looks like Mr. Squeaks has his hot air balloon built and ready to go. The hot air balloon looks like it's a great success. Uh oh, is that a swarm of wasps? This doesn't look like it will end well. Phew, it sure is a good job Imani can fly!