Definition
Four operations
The four operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division considered as one basic group.
What it means
These are four main ways to work with numbers: combine amounts by adding, find a difference by subtracting, make equal groups by multiplying, or split into equal groups by dividing.
Remember it
Plus, minus, times, divide.
Example
Using 12 and 3: 12 + 3 = 15, 12 − 3 = 9, 12 × 3 = 36, and 12 ÷ 3 = 4. Each calculation uses one of the four operations.
Watch for
Exponentiation, such as 2³, is an operation, but it is not one of the four operations named by this term.
Common mix-up
The phrase names a standard arithmetic group; it does not mean any four operations chosen from mathematics.
Exact meaning
The four operations are the four basic arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.