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[Misc] Bodmas



Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
One for the nerds and mathematicians out there.

Simple equation. 20+4x4

Deliberately no brackets. Type that with an = in front in Excel and you get what it, to me, the correct answer, 36. Mrs GB insists it is 96 because that's what you get when you type it into a calculator - obviously this is because the calculator is doing one sum after the other and you HAVE to use the brackets to define operational order on a calculator.

The issue being she says she was never taught this at school and has an A in her O Level Maths and I'm pretty sure I wasn't either.

So, the question is, when did BODMAS come in and is it a hard and fast rule? Or a modern concept that relates to spreadsheets and calculators? Or am I either a) too old to remember or b) taught with outdated methods? Son was apparently learning it in year 7 so maybe those GCSEs aren't so noddy.

BTW this also extends to English. I was certainly never taught what a "fronted adverbial" was and yet it's one of the things I have to help my daughter with during the lockdown.
 
Last edited:


Herr Tubthumper

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Jul 11, 2003
59,250
The Fatherland
I was definitely taught the order of operations at school. I’m 51 and as far as I know it’s been around since year dot. It’s a basic principle
 






Guinness Boy

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I was definitely taught the order of operations at school. I’m 51 and as far as I know it’s been around since year dot. It’s a basic principle

At what stage? I use it quite regularly, which is why I know I'm correct :wink: but she insists she's never heard of it. How the frick do you get an A if you're applying the operational order wrongly? Maybe she just got quadratic equations :moo:
 












KZNSeagull

Well-known member
Nov 26, 2007
19,732
Wolsingham, County Durham
At what stage? I use it quite regularly, which is why I know I'm correct :wink: but she insists she's never heard of it. How the frick do you get an A if you're applying the operational order wrongly? Maybe she just got quadratic equations :moo:

I met someone in South Africa who has a maths degree but confessed to being utterly hopeless at simple arithmetic.
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
49,511
Faversham
One for the nerds and mathematicians out there.

Simple equation. 20+4x4

Deliberately no brackets. Type that with an = in front in Excel and you get what it, to me, the correct answer, 36. Mrs GB insists it is 96 because that's what you get when you type it into a calculator - obviously this is because the calculator is doing one sum after the other and you HAVE to use the brackets to define operational order on a calculator.

The issue being she says she was never taught this at school and has an A in her O Level Maths and I'm pretty sure I wasn't either.

So, the question is, when did BODMAS come in and is it a hard and fast rule? Or a modern concept that relates to spreadsheets and calculators? Or am I either a) too old to remember or b) taught with outdated methods? Son was apparently learning it in year 7 so maybe those GCSEs aren't so noddy.

BTW this also extends to English. I was certainly never taught what a "fronted adverbial" was and yet it's one of the things I have to help my daughter with during the lockdown.

Bomdas. It's Bomdas. :wink:

It was a hard and fast rule tought to me in 1970, by Maths teacher Mr Thomas*, oddly (I just added Rod Thomas to the sicknote thread) so it must be true.
 






Guinness Boy

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No. 20 plus 4 is 24, then times it by 4 and that makes 96. Der. However, 4 x 4 plus 20 would make 36. See? Women have more logical brains, remember that.

You have to do the multiplication first. The same equation with brackets to enforce the BODMAS order would be 20 + (4x4). You're simply wrong. I was struggling to explain why, that's all.

Bomdas. It's Bomdas. :wink:

It was a hard and fast rule tought to me in 1970, by Maths teacher Mr Thomas*, oddly (I just added Rod Thomas to the sicknote thread) so it must be true.

BOM?

It's ok, [MENTION=26980]The Tactician[/MENTION] has provided the go to answer :angel:
 


Me and my Monkey

Well-known member
Nov 3, 2015
3,332
You have to do the multiplication first. The same equation with brackets to enforce the BODMAS order would be 20 + (4x4). You're simply wrong. I was struggling to explain why, that's all.



BOM?

It's ok, [MENTION=26980]The Tactician[/MENTION] has provided the go to answer :angel:

I assume Bomdass was a bloke? Says it all, really. I'm with Mrs GB.
 




Harry Wilson's tackle

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Oct 8, 2003
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You have to do the multiplication first. The same equation with brackets to enforce the BODMAS order would be 20 + (4x4). You're simply wrong. I was struggling to explain why, that's all.



BOM?

It's ok, [MENTION=26980]The Tactician[/MENTION] has provided the go to answer :angel:

It was a joke.

It doesn't matter whether you put D or M first. The outcome is always the same :drool:
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
49,511
Faversham
Brackets Of Division Multiplication Addition Subtraction. We could never understand back in the early '70's (teacher included) what the "Of" meant.

It's another way of saying 'have'. As in "Should of seen all the agro at Southend in 85"
 


vegster

Sanity Clause
May 5, 2008
27,869
Never taught this at school, we either did one or the other, division, multiplication adding or subtracting. Simpler times. Probably never used except for 1% of the population.
 


Guinness Boy

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Jul 23, 2003
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It was a joke.

It doesn't matter whether you put D or M first. The outcome is always the same :drool:

Try computer code. Multiply by 0 and you'll get a field filled with a 0. Divide by zero and the ****er will give you an error the size of Cuba and possibly self combust.
 




father_and_son

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2012
4,646
Under the Police Box
One for the nerds and mathematicians out there.

Simple equation. 20+4x4

Deliberately no brackets. Type that with an = in front in Excel and you get what it, to me, the correct answer, 36. Mrs GB insists it is 96 because that's what you get when you type it into a calculator - obviously this is because the calculator is doing one sum after the other and you HAVE to use the brackets to define operational order on a calculator.

The issue being she says she was never taught this at school and has an A in her O Level Maths and I'm pretty sure I wasn't either.

So, the question is, when did BODMAS come in and is it a hard and fast rule? Or a modern concept that relates to spreadsheets and calculators? Or am I either a) too old to remember or b) taught with outdated methods? Son was apparently learning it in year 7 so maybe those GCSEs aren't so noddy.

BTW this also extends to English. I was certainly never taught what a "fronted adverbial" was and yet it's one of the things I have to help my daughter with during the lockdown.

The order of calculation is fixed and been around for a long time. I have a Maths degree from before spreadsheets were around so it definitely isn't a modern thing.

And your missus is catastrophically wrong. You should tell her so. Let us know how that goes. :wink:
 


Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
NSC Patron
Oct 8, 2003
49,511
Faversham
Try computer code. Multiply by 0 and you'll get a field filled with a 0. Divide by zero and the ****er will give you an error the size of Cuba and possibly self combust.

Should read zero or infinity (or minus infinity if the numerator is a negative number). You need to upgrade that Amstrad, young man :wink:
 



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