Brackets & Grouping — How Parentheses Change Value (Grades 5–6)
Parentheses (brackets) tell you what to do first, and moving them changes the answer. 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, but (2 + 3) × 4 = 20. Placing brackets is a powerful tool for hitting a target: decide what should happen first, and wrap it.
Understanding brackets & grouping
Parentheses (brackets) tell you what to do first, and moving them changes the answer. 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, but (2 + 3) × 4 = 20. Placing brackets is a powerful tool for hitting a target: decide what should happen first, and wrap it.
Key Idea
Parentheses (brackets) tell you what to do first, and moving them changes the answer. 2 + 3 × 4 = 14, but (2 + 3) × 4 = 20. Placing brackets is a powerful tool for hitting a target: decide what should happen first, and wrap it.
Seeing it in action
Worked example
Where do brackets go to make 2 + 3 × 4 equal 20?
Group the addition first: (2 + 3) × 4 = 5 × 4 = 20.
Parentheses can change the value.
Try a few
(6 − 2) × 3
Make 8 − 4 ÷ 2 equal 2 with brackets.
10 − (3 + 2)
Make the Target
A calm operations game for choosing operators, evaluating expressions, and placing brackets.
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