The uses of brackets in mathematics.
We will learn the uses of brackets, we have learnt about the precedence of fundamental operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. According to it, the order in which operations are to be performed is first division, then multiplication after which addition and finally subtraction. But sometimes in some complex expressions, we require a set of operations to be performed prior to the others.
For example, if we want an addition to be performed before a division or a multiplication, then we need to use brackets. A bracket indicates that the operations within it are to be performed before the operations outside it.
For example, the expression 12 ÷ 3 x 4, as per DMAS rule where ‘D’ stands for division, ‘M’ for multiplication, ‘A’ for addition and, ‘S’ for subtraction, is simplified by first dividing 12 by 3 and then multiplying by 4 as shown below:
12 ÷ 3 x 4 = (12 ÷ 3 ) x 4 = 4 x 4 = 16.