Solving 20 ÷ 4 × 2, Sameeksha says multiplication always comes before division, so do 4×2=8 first…

Why

Sameeksha has correctly remembered that multiplication and division outrank addition and subtraction — that part of the rule is solid. Where it slips is assuming multiplication ALSO outranks division whenever both appear together, the way it outranks addition. Multiplication and division are actually EQUAL in priority to each other; neither goes first automatically. When only equal-priority operations appear in a row, you work strictly left to right, in the order they're written: 20 ÷ 4 × 2 means '20 divided by 4, then that result times 2' — 20 ÷ 4 = 5, then 5 × 2 = 10. Treating the multiplication as always going first turns this into a different, wrong calculation. Test: 20 metres of rope divided into 4 equal pieces, then each of those pieces cut into 2 shorter pieces, gives 5m pieces first, then 2.5m pieces — eight 2.5m pieces, and the total rope used checks out as 8 × 2.5 = 20, confirming the left-to-right route. Her brother is right, the answer is 10: multiplication and division share equal priority and are done left to right, not multiplication automatically first.