What is the first step in evaluating the expression (5 + 8 ÷ 4 × 3) 2 − 7?

8 ÷ 4

parenthesis

powers
multiply or divide left to right
add or subtract left to right

so yes 8 / 4 = 2

The first step in evaluating the expression (5 + 8 ÷ 4 × 3) 2 − 7 is to simplify the part of the expression inside the parentheses or brackets.

In this case, we have (5 + 8 ÷ 4 × 3) 2 − 7. The expression inside the parentheses is 5 + 8 ÷ 4 × 3. To simplify this part, we need to perform the division and multiplication operations first, before the addition.

Let's break it down step by step using the order of operations:

1. First, we perform the division operation: 8 ÷ 4 = 2.

2. Next, we perform the multiplication operation: 2 × 3 = 6.

3. Now, we have simplified the expression inside the parentheses to 5 + 6.

4. Finally, we perform the addition operation: 5 + 6 = 11.

After simplifying the expression inside the parentheses, we are left with (11) 2 − 7. Now we can move on to the next step.