Let’s break it down in a fun way!

First up, for the expression , we simplify it by calculating the sum inside the parentheses: . Then, we multiply by to get , and finally add to receive .

Next, in the expression , we first handle the parentheses. We solve to get and to get . Then, and . Adding gives us .

Want to tackle the next set? Here’s a fun spoiler alert: The most common mistake is forgetting to handle the order of operations. Make sure you always do the parentheses (PEMDAS—Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction) in the correct order to avoid the headache of wrong answers!

Always double-check your final results too. Sometimes we can be our own worst critics and miss simple arithmetic errors, so take a moment and review your calculations!