According to the mathematical order of precedence used in programming, which portion of an expression should be evaluated first?

• A. Exponents
• B. Parentheses
• C. Multiplication
• D. Subtraction

Answer: (B)

Grouping symbols tell you what to do first. The part inside parentheses is evaluated before anything outside, and then the rest of the expression follows the usual order of operations. This lets you control the calculation by forcing a sub-expression to be computed first. For example, in (3 + 4) * 2, you first compute the inside part to get 7, then multiply by 2 to get 14. In general, programming languages prioritize parentheses, then exponents, then multiplication and division, then addition and subtraction. So the portion that should be evaluated first is the content inside the parentheses.