🎯 Goal

Stop passive reading.

Hunt for the mathematical clues hidden throughout the guide to complete each task.

All answers are hidden at the very end of the guide so you can check your work later.

Flipping Flashcards First

Click here to open up quizlet

🔍 HUNTING ZONE A — The Left-to-Right Teammate Law

In PEMDAS, Multiplication and Division are teammates.

Neither one has priority over the other.

The same rule applies to Addition and Subtraction.

Always solve teammate operations from LEFT → RIGHT.

Example

Division appears first.

• 4\times2 = -8

🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 1 — Team Check

Study the expression

Question 1A

True or False:

Because the A comes before S in PEMDAS,

you should calculate

before subtracting.

👉 Answer: [ A ]

Action 1B

Look back at the example.

Write the very first calculation your brain should perform.

👉 First Step

[ B ] ÷ [ C ]

🔍 HUNTING ZONE B — The Negative Sign Traps

When order of operations mixes with negative numbers,

your brain encounters two common traps.

Trap 1 — The Double Negative Smash

If subtraction is immediately followed by a negative sign,

the two negatives combine into a plus.

Example

Trap 2 — Parentheses with Exponents

Parentheses tell you exactly what is being multiplied.

Example

means

🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 2 — The Trap Check

Study the examples above.

Question 2A

When you see

what operation does the double negative become?

👉 Answer: [ D ]

Action 2B

Expand

using multiplication only.

Do not solve it yet.

👉 Expanded Setup

([ E ]) × ([ F ])

🔍 HUNTING ZONE C — The One-Step-Per-Line Strategy

🚫 Critical Law

Never solve an entire expression in your head.

That is where careless mistakes happen.

Instead:

• Solve one operation layer
• Rewrite the entire remaining expression
• Repeat

Every line should show exactly one completed step.

🧗 Reese Scavenger Task 3 — Pacing Check

Study the expression

Question 3A

According to PEMDAS,

which should happen first?

• Addition
• Multiplication

👉 Answer

You must [ G ] first.

Action 3B

Rewrite the expression after the first operation.

👉 Line 2 Rewrite

🚀 STEP 2 — WATCH (5 Minutes)

Watch:

• Organic Chemistry Tutor — Order of Operations (Fractions & Negatives)

🎯 STEP 3 — INDEPENDENT CLEARANCE CHECK

Show all of your work.

Solve only one operation per line.

Do not check the Answer Vault until you've finished.

1. Evaluate Moving Left to Right

Line 2 Rewrite

Final Value

2. Clear the Double Negative First

• 6-(-10)

Line 2 Rewrite

Final Value

3. Expand the Exponent Before Solving

Expanded Line

Final Value

4. Follow Strict PEMDAS Pacing

Line 2 Rewrite (Multiplication Pass)

Line 3 Rewrite (Left-to-Right Pass)

Final Value

🕵️‍♂️ THE ANSWER VAULT

(Student Self-Check Only — Don't Peek Early!)

🔑 Scavenger Hunt Clue Key

✅ Step 3 Clearance Check Key

1.

Line 2

• 8\times4

Final Answer

2.

Line 2

• 6+10

Final Answer

3.

Expanded Line

Final Answer

Remember: Negative × Negative = Positive

4.

Line 2

Line 3

Final Answer