How do you simplify $13 - 5 + 1$ $13 - 5 + 1$ using PEMDAS?

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Answer 1 · 2018-03-31T06:58:33

$9$ $9$

The problem arises in identifying the adds and the subtracts!

The question does NOT mean $13 - (5 + 1)$ $13-(5+1)$ , where the addition is seen as $5 + 1$ $5+1$

Remember that a sign belongs to the number on the right.

What we actually have is

$(+ 13) + (- 5) + (+ 1)$ $(+13) +(-5) +(+1)$

I prefer to have students rearranging the terms first, with the ADDS at the beginning and the SUBTRACTS at the end.

$13 + 1 - 5 = 9$ $13+1-5 = 9$

Or just work from left to right.

$13 - 5 + 1$ $color(blue)(13-5)+1$

$= 8 + 1$ $=color(blue)(8)+1$

$= 9$ $=9$

How do you simplify 13 - 5 + 1 13−5+113 - 5 + 1 using PEMDAS?