In mathematics, an operand is the object of a mathematical operation, a quantity on which an operation is performed.
The following arithmetic expression shows an example of operators and operands:
In the above example, '+' is the symbol for the operation called addition.
The operand '3' is one of the inputs (quantities) followed by the addition operator, and the operand '6' is the other input necessary for the operation.
The result of the operation is 9. (The number '9' is also called the sum of the addends, 3 and 6.)
An operand, then, is also referred to as "one of the inputs (quantities) for an operation".
Operands may be complex, and may consist of expressions also made up of operators with operands.
In the above expression '(3 + 5)' is the first operand for the multiplication operator and '2' the second. The operand '(3 + 5)' is an expression in itself, which contains an addition operator, with the operands '3' and '5'.
Rules of precedence affect which values form operands for which operators: