40 + 40 – 20 × 0 + 3 + 125 = ? At first glance, you might rush to add and subtract in the order they appear—but a hidden trick lies in remembering to handle multiplication before moving on. One small misstep can throw off your entire result. Think you’ve got the right answer in mind? In this post, we’ll walk through each operation step by step so you can see why the order matters. Scroll down to confirm your calculation and sharpen your math skills!

What’s the Answer Here?

Ready for a quick mental workout? Here’s a deceptively simple arithmetic challenge that doesn’t require a calculator—just careful attention to detail. Take a moment and solve:

• 40 + 40 – 20 × 0 + 3 + 125 = ?

Have you got your answer yet? Before you scroll down, lock in that result and test your understanding of the order of operations.

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Common Mistakes

Even experienced problem solvers often trip up on expressions like this. Here are a few pitfalls to watch out for:

Adding and Subtracting Left to Right Without Multiplying First

• It’s tempting to start by summing 40 + 40 or subtracting 20, but if you ignore the multiplication step, you’ll get the wrong total.

Misreading “20 × 0” as Zero or Skipping It Entirely

• Multiplying by zero always yields zero—but only if you remember to do it before tackling the other terms. Otherwise, you may accidentally treat “20” and “0” as separate additions or subtractions.

Treating the +3 and +125 as “Bonus” Steps

• Some solvers see the small “+ 3” and large “+ 125” and get distracted, forgetting that everything hinges on handling “– 20 × 0” correctly.

Step‐by‐Step Solution

Identify Multiplication and Division First

According to the rules of PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication & Division, Addition & Subtraction), we start by computing:

• 20 × 0 = 0

Rewrite the Expression

Substitute the product back into the original line:

• 40 + 40 – 0 + 3 + 125

Perform Addition and Subtraction from Left to Right

• First, add 40 + 40 = 80
• Next, subtract 0: 80 – 0 = 80
• Then add 3: 80 + 3 = 83
• Finally, add 125: 83 + 125 = 208

So the correct answer is 208.

Share Your Result and Keep Practicing

Did you arrive at 208, or were you briefly tempted to treat the terms out of order? Let us know in the comments how quickly you solved it, and whether the multiplication step tripped you up. If you enjoyed sharpening your skills with this problem, explore more of our logic and math challenges to keep your reasoning razor-sharp. Each puzzle you conquer makes you more adept at spotting those small but crucial details!