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Glorioski wrote:Applied mathematics are rarely going to present you with such an equation where you need to apply the order of operations to make sense of it. Feel fee to give an example though azazel. I run a business myself btw, I do my own taxes and can't think of where an equation comes up where I need it, I haven't needed to use bodmas since a level maths.

1. Your business needs stationary and you have been given a strict budget to work with. Time to create an order. I will order ten reams of paper at a cost of $3.00 each, and fifty boxes of pencils at a cost of $2.00 each.

How much will this cost you?

That's 10*3+50*2=
A) $1060.00
B) $130.00
C) $160.00
D) $1030.00

2. You want to save your failing store by maximizing the staffing levels during peak hours, but you have to work within a strict budget. Your business is open from 10:00 to 23:00. First, determine the average number of transactions per hour (even a simple mean average requires BEDMAS). Then calculate the average gross income per hour (same principle as the previous request). Then calculate the average number of hours you can afford if the staffing levels are evenly distributed amongst the entire business day (third time you need BEDMASS). Keeping within your budget and allocating staffing levels to accomodate increased traffic in your store during peak hours, determine the average ratio of staff to customers during the period from 15:00 to 20:00.

This one isn't multiple choice because not enough information is given. But I assure you, anyone that has ever held even an assistant manager position in any type of consumer-facing business has had to do this in one form or another, and it most certainly does need BEDMAS.


Tell me: what kind of business do you run, wherein you don't need BEDMAS?

One that doesn't need that much paper and pencils?

Ugh, I hate this stuff. Internet clever people overstating the importance of mathematical notation, and using it to claim they're smarter than other people.

 azazel the cat wrote:

Glorioski wrote:Applied mathematics are rarely going to present you with such an equation where you need to apply the order of operations to make sense of it. Feel fee to give an example though azazel. I run a business myself btw, I do my own taxes and can't think of where an equation comes up where I need it, I haven't needed to use bodmas since a level maths.

1. Your business needs stationary and you have been given a strict budget to work with. Time to create an order. I will order ten reams of paper at a cost of $3.00 each, and fifty boxes of pencils at a cost of $2.00 each.

How much will this cost you?

That's 10*3+50*2=
A) $1060.00
B) $130.00
C) $160.00
D) $1030.00

2. You want to save your failing store by maximizing the staffing levels during peak hours, but you have to work within a strict budget. Your business is open from 10:00 to 23:00. First, determine the average number of transactions per hour (even a simple mean average requires BEDMAS). Then calculate the average gross income per hour (same principle as the previous request). Then calculate the average number of hours you can afford if the staffing levels are evenly distributed amongst the entire business day (third time you need BEDMASS). Keeping within your budget and allocating staffing levels to accomodate increased traffic in your store during peak hours, determine the average ratio of staff to customers during the period from 15:00 to 20:00.

This one isn't multiple choice because not enough information is given. But I assure you, anyone that has ever held even an assistant manager position in any type of consumer-facing business has had to do this in one form or another, and it most certainly does need BEDMAS.


Tell me: what kind of business do you run, wherein you don't need BEDMAS?

I've been in accounting and finance for more than 10 years, and I've never seen anyone plonk a formula down without any context and just figured that a person would follow the orders of operation to get the right result. Business just doesn't work like that.

Issues will always be put in context. So, for instance, your simple mean average will consist of the something like the following;

10-11 Transactions
Mon 12/04 trans 9
Tues 13/04 trans 6
Wed 14/04 10
etc...

Total Transaction April 10-11 347

Total Employees 38
Average Work Hours 9.13

It doesn't use orders of operation. It doesn't even show the multiplication signs, addition signs or any of that. It relies on basic business logic for people to understand the relation between these figures.

BIMDAS is great and all, and is very important in pure maths, and how that pure maths flows into science, and high end finance and stuff like that. But it is just a notation system used for communicating mathematical ideas. The idea that it is somehow essential to basic maths is complete tosh.

Right Sebster.

Azazel, neither of those examples explain why you would take those figures and put them into such an equation. I know by the context of the maths what is multiplied by what because it's ten reams at 3 dollars each and fifty pencils at 2 dollars each. Who, understanding that, is going to multiply the reams of paper by 3 add the fifty boxes of pencils and then times the resulting number by 2? That person clearly doesn't know what they are doing I would hardly expect BODMAS to be what pulls them through.

 purplefood wrote:
Over...

I always thought it was pOwers.
Or just BIDMAS.


Also, Any form of maths past 1+1 or similar will use a simple form of BODMAS. It's natural and you might not realize it but you will use it

 Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote:

 Hlaine Larkin mk2 wrote:
assuming there is no brackets, the answer should be 7 according to BODMAS

on those facebook things the seems to a massive lack of basic mathematics

Is BODMAS the Brit equivalent of PEMDAS?

Up here in Canada we have BEDMAS...... so it looks like we ripped both your countries off