P.E.M.D.A.S

These six letters are an acronym for the foundation of all mathematic calculations. Whether you learned it as

• PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction
• BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction

or another acronym. It is the order of operations – the order in which you must perform the operations of Addition (A), Subtraction (S), Multiplication (M), and Division (D). This order is how scientific calculators are programmed.

Explanation

The order asks complex mathematical expressions involving multiple operations be solved in a particular order (Parentheses and [Brackets – from inside out], Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction). What sometimes gets lost in understanding is fact that because Multiplication and Division are repeated addition and subtraction operations, respectively – the repeated values must be calculated before the arithmetic operations of Addition and Subtraction.

Once the Parentheses/Exponents or Brackets/Orders operations have been reduced to Addition and Subtraction, all operations are solved from left to right as they appear in the problem. This order of operations allows scientific and technical calculations, such as engineering or data analytics, to be calculated using the same process.

Applications

While not all calculators are programmed the same way, when the operations are applied in the correct sequence, new avenues of understanding are opened and it becomes easier to connect process to concept. The examples in the picture are great for flexing PEMDAS brain muscle. We will break each of them down with step-by-step instructions for solving in future posts. Until next time, dream BIG and let your D.R.E.A.M.S. take you there!

• PEMDAS Problem #1
• PEMDAS Problem #2
• PEMDAS Problem #3