Jay,

The "rule" is left to right execution for operators of the same precedence in order of precedence.

Precedence
()
* /
+ -

The () in this expression symbolize multiplication instead of subtracting 2

The answer is 12 because you divide -24 by 4 then multiply by -2

To prove it correct use the VFP command window

? -24/4*(-2)

>>>

>>>-24/4(-2)
>>>

>>>Is it:
>>>

>>>-6(-2) = 12
>>>

>>>Or is it:
>>>

>>>-24/-8 = 3
>>>

>>
>>See Agnes' reply :o)
>
>This is what gets me. I've gotten different answer from technical people who are good at math. How am I supposed to help an 11-year old understand the rules? After reading all the replies, I still don't know if the answer is 12 or 3.