Hmm
Others seem to be seeing brackets where they don't exist. (That's probably because of the difficulties of typing mathematical symbols, exactly as they appear on paper, in Answerbank).
If the question appears thus:
(5 x 4 -2) � 3 + 3(9 - 7)
the answer is 12
That's because the addition should be the final operation. The terms to the left of the '+' sign are worked out as follows:
Start with 5, multiply it by 4 (Answer = 20)
Subtract 2 (Answer = 18)
Divide by 3 (Answer = 6)
To the right of the '+' sign, we have:
Start with 9, take 7 (Answer= 2)
Multiply by 3 (Answer = 6)
Lastly, add the left side (6) to the right side (6). Answer 12
The answer 2 has been offered by others because they've left the division until the last operation. That would only be correct if the question was presented thus:
(5 x 4 - 2) � ( (3 + 3(9 - 7))
Chris
(Former A-level maths teacher)