# Operator precedence and associativity

When two or more operators are used in the same statement, some operators take precedence over others. ActionScript follows a precise hierarchy to determine which operators to execute first. For example, multiplication is always performed before addition; however, items in parentheses take precedence over multiplication. So, without parentheses, ActionScript performs the multiplication in the following example first:

    total = 2 + 4 * 3;

The result is 14.

But when parentheses surround the addition operation, ActionScript performs the addition first:

    total = (2 + 4) * 3;

The result is 18.

When two or more operators share the same precedence, their associativity determines the order in which they are performed. Associativity can be either left-to-right or right-to-left. For example, the multiplication operator has an associativity of left-to-right; therefore, the following two statements are equivalent:

    total = 2 * 3 * 4;
    total = (2 * 3) * 4;

For a table of all operators and their precedence and associativity, see Operator Precedence and Associativity.