P= parentheses or () E= exponents such as [tex] x^{2} [/tex] M= multiplying D= division A= Addition S= Subtraction
Another popular acronym is BEDMAS, which is pretty much the same except for division and multiplication are switched and it uses the word Brackets to describe these: ().
"Please Excuse Our Dear Aunt Sally" A technique for remembering the order of operations. It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction".