You cannot solve an equation or operations according to your rule. In this way, people will get different answers to the same set of questions. Students need to maintain a particular order while solving the operations. PEMDAS is one such operation that people widely use to get solutions. You can use it if you want to get the right answer to your maths problem. It establishes a simple procedure that the entire school follows while doing these sums. It is called PEMDAS because it becomes easier to remember for the students. You have to know what this abbreviation stands for to proceed with the next stage.
Rule: In this rule, you have to break down the word PEMDAS into the long form. It makes it easier to calculate the operational sums. Here is the order that you need to follow:
- P: This stands for the word parenthesis. It means that you have to solve the equations that are present in parenthesis or a bracket first. If you skip to the next equation then your answer will be wrong. Solve all the equations which are in the brackets and substitute your answer in them.
- E: This is referred to as the exponential region of the equation. Exponents are the powers that some of the numbers have. It can be square, square root, cube, etc. Solve them directly and add the answer to your solution. Many times, there is more than one equation inside a square root itself. In such cases, first, you will solve the equation and then get the answer.
- MD: This is the easiest part of the equation as you have to do the multiplication and division. Make sure that you look at the signs properly before starting the calculation. You have to either multiply or divide based on which one comes first. There is no rule where you have to only multiply or divide. You can do either of them if any of it comes.
- AS: This is similar to the one discussed above. The only difference is that you have to do addition or subtraction. You can understand that from the abbreviation present in the word PEMDAS. That is the main objective of the entire system. It makes it easier to remember these rules while carrying out the operations. The questions that will come will all be disorganized. It is the student’s job to carry out the calculations according to the rules. When you are done with the rest, start with addition or subtraction, whichever comes first. You have to begin with that operation.
When can you use this rule?
This rule cannot be used in all kinds of the equation that you solve. Then you may not obtain the correct form of the result. Students must know when and how to apply this rule. If you see that your equation has more than one order of operation, you can use this. When you follow all the rules, you will get the exact answer that the school wants. Another important rule is that you need to move from left to right. That is the normal way to find out the solution for these sums. If you do the reverse, you won’t get the correct answer at any chance.
The PEMDAS rule is used in almost all parts of the world to solve mathematical problems. You may hear some other names of this method as well. But when you break the short form, you will find that it follows the same rules. If you want more information about this topic, join Cuemath.com. It is an online platform that provides online math classes to students from different locations.