Originally Posted by allafix:
“BODMAS removes ambiguity, regardless of how simple or complex the expression (or sum) is. Fair enough if you like the idea of ambiguity of course. But if you insist it should be "left to right" for simple sums and BODMAS for complicated ones, you will also need to define the complexity level at which you switch from "left to right" to BODMAS. I suggest to you that any sum with a mixture of operators is complicated enough to need BODMAS.
Floopy hijacked this thread and disappeared long ago, having had their fun. They also thought 40 x 0 = 40, are you in agreement with that too?”
“BODMAS removes ambiguity, regardless of how simple or complex the expression (or sum) is. Fair enough if you like the idea of ambiguity of course. But if you insist it should be "left to right" for simple sums and BODMAS for complicated ones, you will also need to define the complexity level at which you switch from "left to right" to BODMAS. I suggest to you that any sum with a mixture of operators is complicated enough to need BODMAS.
Floopy hijacked this thread and disappeared long ago, having had their fun. They also thought 40 x 0 = 40, are you in agreement with that too?”
No I'm not completely as daft as Floops, but that sum, in the way it was presented equals 40.
We have already agreed that mathematicians are lazy and don't like to use brackets. But I feel if it were an equation rather than a straight froward sum it would have been presented 3+(7x4). But here's the rub, how do we know where the lazy maths bods would have put the brackets? (3+7)x4? gives 40, 3+(7x4).
As it stands it was presented 3+7x4. I understand it's a confusing issue and how it's percieved counts a lot. But I'm an engineer, I deal with numbers daily and I think you've got to look at the context it's delivered in. As it was delivered in (duming down but not for you) what is 3 plus 4 times 7 then it's a perfectly valid way of working it to get 40. That is kind of how my brain works when doing mental arithmetic. If I was sat down with pen and paper I'd probably think more about it.
It's how it's been presented, as it's been presented by a quite obviously bone idle mathemetician then it's open to debate.
I hope all that makes sense!
And ETA, if people are getting both answers on 2 different calculators...that have been programmed with algorhythms developed my mathematicians then is there any wonder that there's so much bliddy confusion.
Casio FX81! You're fired!!
