What is 8 – 8 * 8 + 8? Math Order of Operations Solved

The Internet’s Favorite Trap: Decoding 8 – 8 × 8 + 8

At first glance, it looks like a harmless second-grade arithmetic puzzle. Toss it into a group chat, a social media comment section, or a family dinner table, however, and you’ll instantly watch civilized adults tear their hair out, drawing battle lines over conflicting answers like 0, -48, and 72.

So, what is the correct answer to 8 – 8 × 8 + 8?

The definitive, mathematically airtight answer is -48.

Let’s pull back the curtain and break down why this deceptively simple expression causes so much chaos online.

Step-by-Step Breakdown: Following the Rules of the Road

Mathematics isn’t a free-for-all; it relies on a universal set of traffic laws known as the Order of Operations (commonly remembered via acronyms like PEMDAS in the US/Canada or BODMAS in the UK/Australia):

1. P/B: Parentheses / Brackets
2. E/O: Exponents / Orders
3. M/D: Multiplication and Division (from left to right)
4. A/S: Addition and Subtraction (from left to right)

Let’s run our expression through these rules step by step:

Original Expression: 8 - 8 × 8 + 8

Step 1: Multiplication First

Before we touch any addition or subtraction, multiplication takes absolute priority. We evaluate 8 × 8, which gives us 64.

Now, substitute that back into the equation:
$$mathbf{8 – 64 + 8}$$

Step 2: Addition and Subtraction (Left to Right)

This is where the wheels fall off for many people. A common misconception is that Addition always comes before Subtraction because the “A” comes before “S” in PEMDAS.