52-6*3+4=38.. why

you have to multiply BEFORE you add or subtract

52-6*3+4

=52-18+4

=34+4

=36

order of operation is very important in maths

See here and then you can to into one of the mathsisfun sites if you want more.

https://www.google.com.au/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=order%20of%20operation

Yes, its just like reading a book left to right. You do the order the equation is written, unless you have a more complicated equation such as quadratic funtions and others. But in your case this equation is written so it doesnt matter how you do it expect if you do it from the middle then you might mess up. I say just sticking to going left to right. You'll learn more about these things later. :)