My thought process: if I had 8÷(4+4) = 1 and factored out a 2, I get 8÷2(2+2) = 1. However, if I say 2(2+2) = 2*(2+2), then 8÷2(2+2) = 8÷2*(2+2) = 1, BUT 8÷2*(2+2) = 16.
Please help I’m feeling dumber by the second
In: Mathematics
The whole American PEDMAS stuff is needlessly confusing.
Nobody uses the notation like that and all these “confusing” examples are just people abusing notation like ÷ .
First thing: Addition and subtraction are two aspects of the same thing and multiplication and division are two aspects of the same thing.
For example 3 -2 +4= 3 +4 -2= 5. Once you know negative numbers (=debt), you can write this as 3 + (-2) + 4. There is only addition, no weird invisible bracket and you can freely reorder things (subtraction is simply adding negative numbers).
Same for multiplication: 6 /3 *2=6 *2 /3=4.
Once you know fraction, you can write this as
6* (1/3) *2 = 6 * 2 * (1/3) =4.
There is only multiplication, no weird invisible bracket and you can freely reorder things (division is just multiplying by a fraction).
Finally, there is one common abbreviation, which is purely for notational convenience. Say you buy 3 coffees for $2 each and 5 donuts for $1 each.
Then we don’t want to write brackets all the time and hence abbreviate:
(3 * 2) + (5 * 1) = 3 * 2 + 5 * 1=11.
Much easier to write, so we say to do multiplication first and then addition.
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