Parentheses are super important when you're learning algebra, especially in Year 9. They help you know which math operations to do first, and this can really change the answer you get.

Let’s break it down simply:

1. Order of Operations: You can remember the order with BODMAS or BIDMAS. Here’s what each letter means:

   • B = Brackets (this means Parentheses)
   • O = Orders (this means Powers and Roots)
   • D = Division
   • M = Multiplication
   • A = Addition
   • S = Subtraction

2. Example: Imagine you have the math problem $3 + 4 \times 2$. According to BIDMAS, you do the multiplication first. So, you would do $4 \times 2$ to get $8$, and then add $3$, making it $3 + 8 = 11$.

But if you put parentheses around $3 + 4$, like this: $(3 + 4) \times 2$, it changes everything! You would first add $3 + 4$ which equals $7$, and then multiply by $2$. So, $7 \times 2 = 14$.

This shows how parentheses can completely change your calculations! They are really important for getting the right answers.