Operator precedence

301.2 Arithmetic Operators

Arithmetic Operators — Note 4 of 4

Apply BIDMAS to expressions.

What you need to know

Python follows BIDMAS (Brackets, Indices, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction). Operations like **, *, /, +, - are evaluated in that order, just like in maths.

What to know

Brackets () are evaluated first
Then ** (indices/powers)
Then * / // % (left to right)
Then + - (left to right)
Use brackets to make order explicit and clear

Code examples

Precedence example

python

print(2 + 3 * 4)     # 14, not 20
print((2 + 3) * 4)   # 20
print(10 - 2 ** 3)   # 2 (10 - 8)

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Specification notes for programming are in Paper 2.