Does anyone else out there think the BIDMAS rule is ridiculous? I was reasonably good at maths at school. I got a pretty decent O'level - probably equivalent to a B at GCSE, but I just don't get BIDMAS. It's just not logical to me at all.
Here's an example:
In my mind the sum below goes this way:
1 + 5 x 6 -1 = 35 You just go from left to right in order and end up with an answer. Simple. And perfectly logical.
But apparently if you apply BIDMAS the answer is:
1 + 5 x 6 - 1 = 30
Now - if that had brackets in that would be fine. I understand brackets.
1 + (5 x 6) - 1 = 30 You do the brackets first, then the other stuff in order. But without the brackets the answer should be 35.
Does anyone else agree with me that this crazy rule must have been invented by a sadistic mathematician just trying to confuse innocent people? Or am I missing the point?
Anyway, as you can see I get quite het up about this and you're probably all thinking I'm crazy and a bit thick, but I would love to know if anyone out there agrees with me! Please leave a comment if you do, I'd love to know I'm not alone! :-)