why in algebra class they teach the order of operations (PEMDAS) in that order. Is this just an arbitrary standard everyone agreed on or was it the result of higher math only making sense when equations are done in that order?

Question

Title

In: 1362

Answer 1

No it’s not arbitrary.

All operations all just different and handy ways to add. And addition is a way to group things and count them.

So in order to calculate you must reduce everything to additions. And in order to reduce everything to additions you just start doing the most complicated things first.

So 3×2+2(1+3) = 3+3+1+3+1+3 = 16.

That’s it.

3^2 + 2×3+4/2 = 3×3+3+3+4×1/2 = 3+3+3+3+3+1/2+1/2+1/2+1/2=19