Another Math Problem

[Mjolinor]

The order in which an equation is written cannot ever affect the answer as long as you stick to the rules of arithmetic.

A calculator that gives 35 to this problem is either not being used correctly (read the instruction book) or it is faulty.

[thered]

B brackets
O of
D division
M multiplication
A addition
S subtraction

You lot never heard of that. It is the most basic rule of arithmetic.

just read this after i posted yes that is correct i remember bodmas now youve mentioned it so the 4x5 does come first before the plus 3 to make 23

but it does beg the question why do we not teach this in primary school because in primary school it would be 35

[Stuart 0366]

I have posted this on a few forums and it has opened up quite a debate, basically we are all right due to the teaching problems in this country it would seem. I am not daft but I never did any higher grade of maths at school (couldn't be a**ed) so although I have heard of BODMAS and know how it works I still fall back to primary school teachings.

[Mjolinor]

The real problem is that people that enjoy mathematics never ever go into teaching young people they always end up in universities never in schools.

Both my kids used to come home with just plain wrong information that their maths teachers had tried to tell them was right.

You cannot teach what you don't understand and I have not met a single primary or secondary teacher that understood numbers and basic arithmetic.

To make it more understandable here if you added "I have 3 cans of beer and 5 four packs how many cans have I got" then no one will get it wrong.

[Stuart 0366]

The real problem is that people that enjoy mathematics never ever go into teaching young people they always end up in universities never in schools.

Both my kids used to come home with just plain wrong information that their maths teachers had tried to tell them was right.

You cannot teach what you don't understand and I have not met a single primary or secondary teacher that understood numbers and basic arithmetic.

To make it more understandable here if you added "I have 3 cans of beer and 5 four packs how many cans have I got" then no one will get it wrong.

I understand and appreciate what you are saying but (devils advocate here) who and why states that BODMAS takes precidence. In a problem as written 3+4x5 why shouldn't it be solved from left to right. What in science makes it right to instigate BODMAS?

[Mjolinor]

I understand and appreciate what you are saying but (devils advocate here) who and why states that BODMAS takes precidence. In a problem as written 3+4x5 why shouldn't it be solved from left to right. What in science makes it right to instigate BODMAS?

The same people that say + means add them together and - means subtract them. It is just the basic rules of arithmetic.

[larryoke]

Obviously i can laugh from most of you here, because you don't know math's basics....

@larryoke you can shut your math to your's *** because your answer was dummest of all...

pawliukazz no need to start slagging, as I said No maths genius, but then again I've only worked it out as it's written which is the way I was taught basic maths, being over 50 it was a long time ago when I was at school, I do stand corrected but why not just an explanation rather than slagging!!

[Mjolinor]

pawliukazz no need to start slagging, as I said No maths genius, but then again I've only worked it out as it's written which is the way I was taught basic maths, being over 50 it was a long time ago when I was at school, I do stand corrected but why not just an explanation rather than slagging!!

I have to agree with you on this. Why would you laugh at someone for not knowing something? That is just absurd, if we all did that I suppose the world would be full of laughing people but it wouldn't be very happy.

[Stuart 0366]

The same people that say + means add them together and - means subtract them. It is just the basic rules of arithmetic.

Therefore by definition the answer is 35. The basic rules of arithmetic as taught at primary level cover this in all text books.






I love a good debate

[Mjolinor]

Therefore by definition the answer is 35. The basic rules of arithmetic as taught at primary level cover this in all text books.

I am not talking about teaching I am talking about the laws that cover arithmetic. What people teach in no way affects the correct way to do something. The correct answer is, and always will be 23. That is of course making other assumptions about the nature of the problem that are inherently assumed and not specified.

[larryoke]

Therefore by definition the answer is 35. The basic rules of arithmetic as taught at primary level cover this in all text books.

I love a good debate

As long as it doesn't end in a slanging match

[thered]

Therefore by definition the answer is 35. The basic rules of arithmetic as taught at primary level cover this in all text books.






I love a good debate

scottish maths books when i was a lad was what we learnt from

[thered]

if you google 3+4*5


you will get 23

[Stuart 0366]

Sorry Mjolinor but it does come down to teaching. If we cannot teach our youngest the proper way (which I personally disagree with anyway) in the first place then how can we expect them to know in later life, if like me, they don't like or care for math?

The question still stands, what makes BODMAS right. It may be semantics but what is the reasoning behind it?

[masur123]

if you use the calculator on your pc and do 3+4*5 you will get 35, dont think the calc on here is faulty, but then again it is microsoft so could be shite!