When evaluating the expression 5x^2 for x=4 explain why 4 must be squared before multiplying by 5

Order of operations

Step-by-step explanation:

4 must be squared before multiplying by 5 because of order of operations (PEMDAS). PEMDAS stands for parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. 4 squared is an example of an exponent and multiplying by 5 is an example of multiplication. Therefore 4 squared must come first.

When 4 is squared first, you will get an answer of 80.

When you multiply by 5 first, you will get an answer of 400.