Which operator has the highest precedence?

The operator with the highest precedence is parentheses, represented as (). Parentheses are used to control the order of operations in expressions, ensuring that calculations within them are performed first, regardless of the other operators present. This is crucial in mathematical expressions and programming, where the order in which operations are evaluated can significantly affect the outcome.

For example, in the expression 2 + 3 * 4, multiplication would normally be performed first due to its higher precedence. However, if you use parentheses to change the order, like (2 + 3) * 4, the addition takes place first, resulting in a different final outcome. Understanding the precedence of operators is fundamental when constructing expressions to ensure they evaluate as intended.

In contrast, while addition, subtraction, and multiplication have their specific orders of precedence among themselves, they are all lower than parentheses. Thus, parentheses take priority over all arithmetic operations, making them the most critical tool for controlling expression evaluations.