= 18 * [tex] 4^{2} [/tex] + [tex] 6^{2} [/tex]Â Â Â Â Â brackets first
= 18 * 16 + 36 Â Â Â next exponents
= 288 + 36 Â Â Â Â Â then multiplication
= 324 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â finally addition
Lisa was right, she used BEDMAS properly while Rob treated the [tex] (9 - 3)^{2} [/tex] as ([tex] 9^{2} [/tex] - [tex] 3^{2} [/tex]). This made it 18 * 16 + (81 - 9) = 288 + 72 = 360.