to think 2+3x4 must of equaled 20

[penny13610]

Looking at how a teacher marks homework is confusing me

So you've basically wasted the time of all these lovely posters who have taken time out of their day to post explanations and links and stuff. Nice.

owl not meaning to waste peoples time. I see loads of learning happening here.
I'd like to call it research. However, we may have to agree to disagree.

Oh and it's 'equalled' in the UK.

In Ireland, the teachers use BOMDAS, is this the same thing I wonder ?

BODMAS is a load of bollocks. All those rules just to confuse people.

I fucking hate maths because I can't understand it

Is this a joke thread?

Write us 100 lines
"must have must have must have" (never must of....)

Next let us learn the spelling of equalled. Never one 1.

You see, you learn loads of information on mumsnet.....

I would have put brackets in that sum to make it clear.

Sorry it turns out my helpful tip wasn't so helpful - I can see why you're confused! In the sum we were talking about there is a number on its own and two things we have to do - a multiplication and a division.

In the sum, the multiplication and division signs belong to the numbers just after them - so we've got a (divide by two) and a (multiply by three). Those have to stay together.

So the only ways that we can write our sum are 100 (divide by two) then (multiply by three) or 100 (multiply by three) then (divide by two) which both give 150.

In your sum 100 / 2 x 3 = 100 / 6 written out like above it would be 100 divided by (two multiplied by three) so the division bit now applies to the three where it shouldn't. It is easier to see when the sums are written out like fractions but I can't figure out how to format it like that on here!

I hope that makes sense - it is so much easier with a pen and paper (can't find the stupid symbol for division on my keyboard!).

Yes it's a teacher's joke.

Where's the amusing bit?

Lesson for today: must HAVE. Learn it now and you'll never have to do it again

If one poster now understands BODMAS, it's not been a waste of time; someone has taken something valuable away from the thread.

~That's teachers for ya!

BODMAS and 'must have' all in one lesson. Win Win!

(The O is for Orders BTW)

Stratter5 that one person is me! I am rather that I didn't know it already and thought the answer was 20! I didn't know the rule of times/divide before add/subtract but did know that brackets were dealt with first.

Thanks Penny and Purps

BIDMAS/BODMAS makes it 14