Shary C.

asked • 12/17/16

I am 74 and don’t remember ever hearing PEMDAS. We did long division and worked all our problems from the top down.

I am 74 and don’t remember ever hearing PEMDAS. We did long division and worked all our problems from the top down. My roommate is 37 and we are having quite a debate about these math problems on Facebook. If you use your calculator on your phone for these problems, he is correct.
Anyone out there agree either me?

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Andrew M. answered • 12/17/16

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I'm 54 and have a bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics.  PEMDAS has been around as long as I can remember.  
 
PARENTHESES
EXPONENTS
MULTIPLICATION/DIVISION
ADDITION/SUBTRACTION
 
in that order.
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Philip P.

I'm 66 and do not remember hearing the acronym PEMDAS in school.  Nonetheless, we did learn the order of operations.  We were also taught to remove any potential ambiguities by using parentheses, a wise practice that seems to have been lost.  Hence the proliferation of Facebook math problems and a generation of confused people.
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12/17/16

Andrew M.

With or without the acronym PEMDAS, the order of operations was taught. I don't know when mathematics, the science of precision and exactness, became so ambiguous.  "Common core" certainly isn't helping.
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12/18/16

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