WasThatWise Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Both my iPad calculator app and my sharp scientific calculator give an answer of 5 ... Thread closed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barleycorn Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I would imagine that is exactly what she is doing, just as I would. I went to school in the 50s and early 60s, and won the arithmetic prize when I left at 15. I went on to do an arithmetic O level at college (separate subject from maths in Scotland). We were taught to work from left to right except when there were brackets. I didn't know the rules had changed! I thought my children (70s/80s) did sums in exactly the same way. When did this change? Or, does * mean something different to x? My answer to 2 + 3 x 4 would also have been 20, I wouldn't even have considered calculating it any other way. And my answer to 4 x 3 + 2 would be 14. Perhaps I need to get my head round modern arithmetic as I have grandchildren who will be doing it differently. I'd have been telling them they were wrong! Edit: I've just spotted BODMAS! I'd never seen that before, certainly not during my school days. Given that the order of operations has been around since at least as early as the 1600s you're either very old or have a poor memory. jb http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52582.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHYTOT Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I would imagine that is exactly what she is doing, just as I would. I went to school in the 50s and early 60s, and won the arithmetic prize when I left at 15. I went on to do an arithmetic O level at college (separate subject from maths in Scotland). We were taught to work from left to right except when there were brackets. I didn't know the rules had changed! I thought my children (70s/80s) did sums in exactly the same way. When did this change? Or, does * mean something different to x? My answer to 2 + 3 x 4 would also have been 20, I wouldn't even have considered calculating it any other way. And my answer to 4 x 3 + 2 would be 14. Perhaps I need to get my head round modern arithmetic as I have grandchildren who will be doing it differently. I'd have been telling them they were wrong! Edit: I've just spotted BODMAS! I'd never seen that before, certainly not during my school days. I think the confusion arises due to BODMAS being a writen convention and this being a quiz show question. Given a string of VERBAL calculations there is only one convention and that is to do them as they appear and BODMAS doesn't apply. BODMAS is a system for written claculation. So had the question been 5 + (3*0) the convention would have been to phrase it 3*0 +5 unless the question was (5+3) *0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 Or, does * mean something different to x? Hi Ms Macbeth, The '*' is more from my programming background, when you write computer software, you need to differentiate between an 'x' and multiplication sign, so generally, in software development, '*' is used to denote multiplication. I don't know if it's used in any other context too? I think, they also use '.' to donate multiplication in some contexts too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatDave Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Ok, clearly the answer is 5 but... Seeing as the show the question is from is Are You Smarter Than A 10 Year Old, perhaps the reason that the answer given on the telly was 0 is that to a 10 year old that is the correct answer. At that age I'm fairly sure thay don't learn BODMAS and so the questions are set according to their level of knowledge. I will confess that when I saw the sum I thought the answer 0, but as soon as I read on all the memories of sum prioritisation came back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted March 13, 2012 Author Share Posted March 13, 2012 I think the confusion arises due to BODMAS being a writen convention and this being a quiz show question. Given a string of VERBAL calculations there is only one convention and that is to do them as they appear and BODMAS doesn't apply. BODMAS is a system for written claculation. So had the question been 5 + (3*0) the convention would have been to phrase it 3*0 +5 unless the question was (5+3) *0 Thanks SHYTOT, I didn't know there was a different convention for questions posed verbally. Even though it was a quiz show question, it was still still presented in written form. On a blackboard, but then Noel did ask the question verbally too (after it was presented visually). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubydazzler Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Given that the order of operations has been around since at least as early as the 1600s you're either very old or have a poor memory.Maybe we were off sick that day? I've never heard of either. But I'd more or less given up on maths by the time I was 7, so probably just wasn't listening It doesn't apply in real life anyway. If I have 8 of something, and want to multiply it, even by 0, I still have the orginal 8 things. They don't disappear. This is just like the nightmare that was algebra all over again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodgeyAl Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Maybe we were off sick that day? I've never heard of either. But I'd more or less given up on maths by the time I was 7, so probably just wasn't listening It doesn't apply in real life anyway. If I have 8 of something, and want to multiply it, even by 0, I still have the orginal 8 things. They don't disappear. This is just like the nightmare that was algebra all over again! Huh? If you define a set of 8 things that you own, and then decide to give me zero of those sets, how many things have you given me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHYTOT Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 Thanks SHYTOT, I didn't know there was a different convention for questions posed verbally. Even though it was a quiz show question, it was still still presented in written form. On a blackboard, but then Noel did ask the question verbally too (after it was presented visually). I think its common sense really. If someone verbally gives you a great string of calculations you have no option but to do them in the order they arrive. ie 20+9-5+6+8+9-3+4+6-3-9+4*8 You can't wait until you have the last figure before you know how to proceed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted March 13, 2012 Share Posted March 13, 2012 I think its common sense really. If someone verbally gives you a great string of calculations you have no option but to do them in the order they arrive. ie 20+9-5+6+8+9-3+4+6-3-9+4*8 You can't wait until you have the last figure before you know how to proceed. Either verbally or written down the answer is the same. 74 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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