Number problem

[Graz]

PEMA, the Australian, way is the best for actually teaching

Practice Everything Mathematical Accurately?

 

[Matt_B]

PEMA, the Australian, way is the best for actually teaching

How do they teach commas? P is no good if the kids don't know what parentheses are.

 

[Mawsley]

PEMA, the Australian, way is the best for actually teaching

Who the **** is Pema?

 

[Macky]

Who the **** is Pema?

The Australian.

 

[Darth Vodka]

15 is right if you believe in Bodmas

0 is right if you believe in Intelligent Bodmas, from the Bible Leviticus 13 v12 ("thou shalt do maths as thou sayeth it")

We should teach the controversy in our schools, Bodmas is only a set of rules, not a fact

 

[Cate Fox]

15 is right if you believe in Bodmas

0 is right if you believe in Intelligent Bodmas, from the Bible Leviticus 13 v12 ("thou shalt do maths as thou sayeth it")

We should teach the controversy in our schools, Bodmas is only a set of rules, not a fact

I'm with you :icon_bigg (only because I went with 0)

 

[RHYDAL]

If there's no prize, there's no right answer.
Just a bunch of meaningless speculation on what would have won a prize had there been one.
3-2-1.....dusty bin.

 

[jb5000]

How do they teach commas? P is no good if the kids don't know what parentheses are.

Arf, well spotted. ( and ) are called parentheses in most of the english speaking world, they tend to call [ and ] brackets.

PEMA (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplications, Additions) gets around the misunderstanding that BIDMAS sometimes produces where kids think that division should be done before multiplication and addition before subtraction, when they should be done together left to right (it also helps re-enforce the fact that division is just a kind of multiplication, and that subtraction is just a kind of addition - it really is the way number should be taught!)

Under that misunderstanding, a pupil might answer the problem above as

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 x 0 = X

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + (5 x 0) = X

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(5 + 5 + 5) - (5 + 5 + 5) - (5 + 0) = X

15 - 15 - 5 = X

X = -5


Whilst using PEMA...

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 x 0 = X

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + (5 x 0) = X

5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(5 + 5) + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

10 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(10 + 5) - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

15 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(15 - 5) + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

10 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(10 + 5) + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

15 + 5 - 5 + 0 = X

(15 + 5) - 5 + 0 = X

20 - 5 + 0 = X

(20 - 5) + 0 = X

15 + 0 = X

X = 15

 

[homer]

Is the answer 348 ?

Or did I forget to carry the 1 ?

 

[M17TT C]

Numberwang?

 

[pork pie fox]

Meh, I've got two A Levels and a degree in maths and I can't remember any of it. I blame the teachers.

 

[RHYDAL]

Meh, I've got two A Levels and a degree in maths and I can't remember any of it. I blame the teachers.

As my maths teacher was fond of saying...."It's not maths if there's numbers involved. It's merely sums."

 

[Darth Vodka]

yes but what about the Ham Sandwich Theory?

 

[bocadillo]

yes but what about the Ham Sandwich Theory?

About 2½ miles