Precedence of Math Operators

Precedence governs the order in which an expression is solved. For example:

• 2 + 3 * 6 -> 20 the * operator has priority over +.

Associativity refers to the order in which operators are applied if they have the same precedence level. The two possibilities are from left-to-right or right-to-left.

A unary operator is used on only one number. An example of a unary operator is the negative sign in the expression -a, meaning the negative of a.

The following table summarizes precedence and associativity of math operators:

An example follows:

9 + 16 / 3 * 7 % 8 - 5 (solve / first)

9 + 5 * 7 % 8 - 5 (solve * second)

9 + 35 % 8 - 5 (solve % next)

9 + 3 - 5 (solve left-to-right)

7

Parentheses take priority over all the math operators.

(5+6)/(9-7) -> 11/2 -> 5 (integer division, which drops remainders, is used here)