[quote=kingfisher]maths is a hard nut to crack....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU5LoCLGMdQ[/quote]

Am dead...

Posed this same question to my Finance Manager (man) and Accountant (lady) today morning.

Finance Manager = 13 with no method and wrote (QED).

Accountant = 17 with method and even arrows pointing left at the last stage of addition and substration.

I wonder who needs to be fired here?

Wazuans the correct answer is 13.

You are supposed to introduce brackets (parenthesis) to the numbers to be multiplied or divided.

I think the problem depends on the addition and subtraction that is:-

21-6+2

if your begin with subtraction:-

(21-6)+2
15+2

you get 17

if you begin with the addition:-

21-(6+2)
21-8
you get the 13

so if BODMAS stands for Brackets of Division Multiplication Addition and Subtraction and should be followed in that order. It would mean that those who first add the 6 to the 2 to get 8 which is subtracted from the 21 to give the 13 are right

Good question. The decision on what operation to start with (mental bracketing) is the most important in arriving at the correct answer. for example;

1+5x6= 31 and not 36 (because the correct order is to multiple 5 with 6 before adding 1.

see lesson on this link;

http://www.backtofrontma...Order-of-Operations.pdf

all the arguments other Wazuans are using to arrive at answers such as 17 or 14 for the original question are based on ignoring mathematical rules on order of operations.someone had correctly asked which base people are using in their calculations. The answer can only change if someone for example changes from using base 10 to using base 2

Please share as to which investment this is, and if its limited to 5 shillings. Tafadhali
1shillingunderthematress@yahoo.com

You might have spoilt his appetite to tell Now I'll remain midro crass and continue debating BODMAS

What answer would Mungai Kihanya a kenyan authority on maths give?

14

Steady man should do a poll on this targeting middle class!