Thread: order of operations

Is it sad when an engineer doesnt know what order of operations is?

>Is it sad when an engineer doesnt know what order of operations is?
Actually, I think it's worse that those silly engineers can't even agree on an order.

-Prelude

PEMDAS right?
Parenthesis Exponent Multiply Divide Add Subtract

lol
if it were only as easy as algebra
I think that engineers can run into this problem in any field, such as mechanical or electrical in my situation.
lol

Ah, I knew that elementary concept back in, well, almost elementary. We're going over it alot in IT Math at Tech School right now. We're creating programming formulas that will work with whatever numbers you throw at them. We _are_ coding them in the old Qbasic, but the programming language that's being used is irrelevant, this is simply a teaching of concepts and knowing how to creat an effecient formula for whatever calculation task you may come along.

Just sit down and think about it, IT Math is a very helpful course in my opinion if you plan on doing some intermediate, or even large scale programming. God knows I've referred to calculators enough already.

I'm an engineer and I didn't know what...

>>> order of operations

... is. The term seemed ambiguous to me, what operations? Hmmm, put water in kettle, put lid on kettle, plug kettle into socket, turn kettle on...

Then I saw...

>>> Parenthesis Exponent Multiply Divide Add Subtract

... and thought, ah, he means operator precedence.

The problem with statements such as that you gave is that the terminology is not standard.

are you referring to mathematical operator precedence or operator precedence in various programming languages?

>>>
"The order of operations" is what most elementary and high school algebra teachers call "operator precedence"
<<<

... maybe where you are...

Originally posted by adrianxw
>>>
"The order of operations" is what most elementary and high school algebra teachers call "operator precedence"
<<<

... maybe where you are...

Ditto...

The foot bone's connected to the leg bone. "operations" is too vague. Operators are not operations... in programming... or in mathematics. Operator precedence is a better term, IMO.

But tit for tat.... who freakin cares. Are you concerned that these engineers do not know phrasology or that they do not understand precedence in equations?

The latter would be sad indeed.... but if it is the former... you are being petty... and naive to think the world revolves around your understanding of the communication process.

English can be confusing or imprecise compared to the precision of math. What's worse is when someone who knows one system but not the other attempts to translate one into the other.
Case in point: question on a VB test today asked which event occurred for a standard form as opposed to an MDI form. Answers A - C were events, D was none of the above, my answer. Got it wrong, correct answer was B, QueryUnload. That is wrong! QueryUnload occurs for standard as well as MDI forms. As opposed to means the opposite.
Maybe that's a digression, but I see that sort of thing all the time. A tech at work once asked "what environment" I was working in. What does that mean? Northern Michigan? Temperate climate? Air conditioned building? Windows 2000? Software Engineering? What? Turns out she meant the primary UNC mapped drive I used. She couldn't communicate that, though, so we went around for half an hour, each thinking the other an idiot.

I have never heard it called operator precedence in my entire life until now. The only term I had ever heard was order of operations and PEMDAS. I expected it was the same way for at least all the Americans on the board.

Ive always learned it as BEDMAS
Brackets Exponents Division Mult. Addit. Sub

- although I think the correct term for () is not in fact brakcets but paranthesis