maths is something that for some reason i have never been able to get my head around. reading through the thread and the explanations of how this equation is done just left me more confused and scared of numbers than before.
maths is something that for some reason i have never been able to get my head around. reading through the thread and the explanations of how this equation is done just left me more confused and scared of numbers than before.
It doesn't help that those who can do maths, are like those who can do computers and prefer to use language that laymen can't understand.
Real understanding comes from being able to explain it in a way anyone can understand.
Conversely, I was training to be a teacher and one of my most successful lessons was always maths. I can only imagine it was because I had to thoroughly understand what I was teaching, why it was being taught in that way and had to understand it myself in a language that could be expressed without jargon.
It doesn't help that those who can do maths, are like those who can do computers and prefer to use language that laymen can't understand.
That's true in just about any discipline. It's inevitable efficiency. When I'm talking to another programmer I don't want to have to use four or five words every time I talk about some shared concept.
I'm pretty sure that you use the term 'driving' instead of telling everyone that you're going to 'climb on-board a motorised vehicle and drive along specially prepared strips of land'.
Now granted a teacher or other source of education ought to be explaining those terms but please let's not get into a criticism of specialised nomenclature.
That's true in just about any discipline. It's inevitable efficiency. When I'm talking to another programmer I don't want to have to use four or five words every time I talk about some shared concept.
I'm pretty sure that you use the term 'driving' instead of telling everyone that you're going to 'climb on-board a motorised vehicle and drive along specially prepared strips of land'.
Now granted a teacher or other source of education ought to be explaining those terms but please let's not get into a criticism of specialised nomenclature.
And that's fair enough, but as a public message board, it's safe to assume that not everyone is capable of discussing mathematical concepts by using mathematical language. Consequently, you're going to get a lot of posters claiming they have no idea what people are talking about.
thats how i got it to, a straight forward, no nonsense way
everything else other than this way im literary a deer in headlights :o
I think we might be safer in the f**k buddies thread
Really, I'm not thick. At school they always insisted on putting me in top maths because being good at everything they assumed it followed that I was supposed to be good at maths.
When it came to GCSEs I fought and managed to convince them to move me down a group so I had a fighting chance of keeping up with what was going on.
All my kids are fantastic at maths, so it must have skipped a generation where I'm involved, lol.
OK, I'm serious about getting this if you're happy to talk me through it I apologise in advance if I frustrate you!
What do I multiply the 0 by first?
Just to throw in another way of explaining it:
40+40x0+1
BODMAS says do the multiplication before the additions. The multiplication applies to the two numbers immediately before and immediately after the multiplication sign, which are the second 40 and the 0.
It's as if 40x0 had brackets round it, to make you do it first. Let's write it that way:
40+(40x0)+1
40x0 is 0, so we replace (40x0) with 0 and rewrite it to get:
OK, I momentarily forgot there was an addition the other side of the 0
I follow what you're doing, but seriously, if you gave me another to do using the same principle, I doubt I'd be able to do it.
I think you said earlier you were comfortable with brackets being evaluated first, so if it helps, imagine going through and bracketing any multiplied or divided terms.
so:
a * b + c * d + e + f * g + h
would become
(a * b) + (c * d) + e + (f * g) + h.
Then you ensure that the correct order for operations is followed. Once you've evaluated the bracketed terms, you can go left to right as you're comfortable with.
Edit: Ha, virtually the same as what John259 just wrote above
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Can I ask how you arrive at that, because I just can't?
Your thread title promised me an equation, all I see is an expression
It unambiguously evaluates to 41, BTW, but many have pointed that out already.
It doesn't help that those who can do maths, are like those who can do computers and prefer to use language that laymen can't understand.
Real understanding comes from being able to explain it in a way anyone can understand.
Conversely, I was training to be a teacher and one of my most successful lessons was always maths. I can only imagine it was because I had to thoroughly understand what I was teaching, why it was being taught in that way and had to understand it myself in a language that could be expressed without jargon.
Not while I have my crayons!
The only way I can see it, and I'm happy to admit it's wrong so I don't need 40 people to respond to tell me that I'm not listening is:
40+40=80
80x0=0
0+1=1
OK, I'm serious about getting this if you're happy to talk me through it
What do I multiply the 0 by first?
I'm pretty sure that you use the term 'driving' instead of telling everyone that you're going to 'climb on-board a motorised vehicle and drive along specially prepared strips of land'.
Now granted a teacher or other source of education ought to be explaining those terms but please let's not get into a criticism of specialised nomenclature.
And that's fair enough, but as a public message board, it's safe to assume that not everyone is capable of discussing mathematical concepts by using mathematical language. Consequently, you're going to get a lot of posters claiming they have no idea what people are talking about.
40x0 = 0
+40 = 40
+1 = 41
Another way to explain it might be to convert it into:
A + B * C + D.
This evaluates as:
B * C + A + D.
It is unintuitive because it breaks the normal 'left to right' reading rule. As to why..that I wouldn't want to explain. It's just the way it is
OK
Why would I multiply it by the 40 and not the 1 though?
Feel free to tell me bug my husband about it so he can draw all over bits of paper and roll his eyes at me.
BIB: That's the bit where my head used to explode at school, lol
B * C + A + D.
If B = 40,
then we have 40 Cad's
lol! I'm with ya!
40 + 40 * 0 + 1
Why on earth would you multiply the 0 by 1? The terms immediately either side of the * get multiplied. 40 gets multiplied by 0.
OK, I momentarily forgot there was an addition the other side of the 0
I follow what you're doing, but seriously, if you gave me another to do using the same principle, I doubt I'd be able to do it.
thats how i got it to, a straight forward, no nonsense way
everything else other than this way im literary a deer in headlights
I think we might be safer in the f**k buddies thread
Really, I'm not thick. At school they always insisted on putting me in top maths because being good at everything they assumed it followed that I was supposed to be good at maths.
When it came to GCSEs I fought and managed to convince them to move me down a group so I had a fighting chance of keeping up with what was going on.
All my kids are fantastic at maths, so it must have skipped a generation where I'm involved, lol.
40+40x0+1
BODMAS says do the multiplication before the additions. The multiplication applies to the two numbers immediately before and immediately after the multiplication sign, which are the second 40 and the 0.
It's as if 40x0 had brackets round it, to make you do it first. Let's write it that way:
40+(40x0)+1
40x0 is 0, so we replace (40x0) with 0 and rewrite it to get:
40+0+1
which is 41.
Hope this helps.
I think you said earlier you were comfortable with brackets being evaluated first, so if it helps, imagine going through and bracketing any multiplied or divided terms.
so:
a * b + c * d + e + f * g + h
would become
(a * b) + (c * d) + e + (f * g) + h.
Then you ensure that the correct order for operations is followed. Once you've evaluated the bracketed terms, you can go left to right as you're comfortable with.
Edit: Ha, virtually the same as what John259 just wrote above
40 + 40a + 1, where a = 0, then I would hope that everyone would agree on the answer being 41
The 40a is, in effect, 40 x a or, in this case, 40 x 0
The reason for the BODMAS convention is exactly so that people know the right way to work out equations such as that given.