Imagine you're a chef following a recipe in Excel.
The recipe (formula) has different steps (operations) to create a delicious dish (calculation result). But just like you wouldn't add the spices before chopping the vegetables, Excel has a specific order for performing operations in formulas.
This order is called operator precedence.

Here's a fun way to remember it:

PEMDAS (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally)

1. P - Parentheses: These come first, just like you follow specific instructions within parentheses in a recipe.
Example: (2 + 3) 4 = 20 (because 2 + 3 is done first, then multiplied by 4)

2. E - Exponents: These are like super spices, applied before anything else.
Example: 2^3 + 1 = 9 (because 2 cubed is done first, then 1 is added)

3. M/D - Multiplication and Division: These are treated equally, like chopping and mixing ingredients, done from left to right.
Example: 2 3 + 1 = 7 (because 2 multiplied by 3 is done first, then 1 is added)
Example: 10 / 2 3 = 15 (because 10 divided by 2 is done first, then multiplied by 3)

4. A/S - Addition and Subtraction: These are like adding your final touches, done from left to right.
Example: 2 + 3 - 1 = 4 (because 2 is added to 3, then 1 is subtracted)
How to Override the Order (Use Parentheses):

Just like you can follow a specific step out of order in a recipe, you can use parentheses to tell Excel to perform an operation first.

Example: 10 - (2 3) = 4 (because the multiplication in parentheses is done first, then subtracted from 10)
Remember: Parentheses always group operations and are evaluated before anything outside them.

Additional Notes:

- Excel performs negation (-) before multiplication and division.
- When multiple operators with the same precedence appear consecutively, evaluation happens from left to right.

By understanding PEMDAS, you can write clear and accurate formulas in Excel, ensuring the calculations are performed in the correct order!