Exponents and order of execution

Asked May 30 '19 at 21:34

Active May 30 '19 at 21:46

Viewed 37 times

If presented the following, what order should the parentheses be added?

2^2^2^2

It seems most tools go right to left. Is that correct/expected? I could not find clear information on this.

Thank you,

edited May 30 '19 at 21:46

Ross Millikan

asked May 30 '19 at 21:34

Woovie

3

Possible duplicate of Can anyone explain why $a^{b^c} = a^{(b^c)} \neq (a^b)^c = a^{(bc)}$ Also this one – Ross Millikan May 30 '19 at 21:46
2

You can add the brackets whichever way you want, and that would determine the order. Until you add them, this expression is senseless. – Yuriy S May 30 '19 at 21:48
It is NOT a duplicate, @RossMillikan. That question asks why the two expressions are different — a basic maths question that can be easily tested out on paper.
This question asks about the order of execution (which, yes, coincidentally is mentioned in that url). That won't show up on Google.
– qaisjp May 30 '19 at 21:56
@qaisjp: both of them explain the convention, which is that we evaluate from right to left, and the reason behind it. That is what is asked here. – Ross Millikan May 30 '19 at 21:58
4

If you omit parenthesis then, your expression becomes open for interpretations. Software tools define their rules the way they like as long as it does not contradict with definitions. It is best to add parenthesis to eliminate any possible ambiguity, It is important to know that the sequence of operation, in absence of parenthesis depends on the operations involved. – NoChance May 30 '19 at 22:00
Welcome to Mathematics Stack Exchange! A quick tour will enhance your experience. Here are helpful tips to write a good question and write a good answer. For equations, please use MathJax. – dantopa May 30 '19 at 23:12

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