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Order of operationsArithmeticElementary schoolabout 0:50

Evaluate 14/(3+1): animated lesson

A narrated, step-by-step order of operations video lesson with captions. Final answer: 7/2.

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Video with a synthetic English voice and captions. Pick another language for subtitles in that language, or open the interactive version.

Video narrated by a synthetic voice (Piper TTS, en_US-ljspeech-high voice (LJ Speech dataset, public domain)); the steps come from our maths engine and the answer was checked independently. Download MP4 (0.3 MB) · Captions (WebVTT)

Steps on screen

1. The problem
Worked example
14/(3+1)
2. Steps, part 1
1. $3 + 1 = 4$
  Add the whole numbers
2. $14 \div 4 = 14 \times \frac{1}{4}$
  Dividing by a fraction means multiplying by its reciprocal
3. $14 \times \frac{1}{4} = \frac{14 \times 1}{1 \times 4} = \frac{14}{4}$
  Multiply numerators and multiply denominators
4. $\frac{14}{4} = \frac{7}{2}$
  Simplify
3. Steps, part 2
1. $\frac{7}{2} = 3\tfrac{1}{2}$
  Final answer in lowest terms
4. The answer
$\frac{7}{2}$
14/(3+1) = 7/2
5. Check
- Decimal check: 7/2 ≈ 3.5
- As a mixed number: 3 1/2

Transcript

The problem. Here is the problem: 14/(3 plus 1). Exact arithmetic with fractions (results kept in lowest terms).

Steps, part 1. Add the whole numbers. Dividing by a fraction means multiplying by its reciprocal. Multiply numerators and multiply denominators. Simplify. Divide numerator and denominator by their GCF, 2.

Steps, part 2. Final answer in lowest terms.

The answer. So the answer is 7 over 2. Fractions are combined over a common denominator for addition and subtraction, multiplied straight across, and divided by multiplying by the reciprocal. The result is reduced by the greatest common factor.

Check. Decimal check: 7 over 2 approximately 3.5. As a mixed number: 3 1 over 2.

About order of operations

Evaluate expressions with brackets, powers, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction in the right order.

Evaluate 14/(3+1): Order of operations Step-by-Step Lesson