Bodmas Rule - Example, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division and Letters

Mathematics is purely logic and some application of standard rules that enables calculation easier and faster too. Some of the mathematical operations that are commonly used in calculations are -

• Addition (+)
• Subtraction (−)
• Multiplication (×)
• Division (÷)

These operators are applied between numbers to solve the calculations.

When you come across mathematical expressions like (8+5×22+1) (8+5×22+1), which operation would you start with? Would you rather prefer starting from the left and heading towards the right? Or the other way round? However, in either of the two cases, if you do not follow certain rules in mathematics, you are likely to get wrong answers. You could try it out with your friends too.

So, to avoid confusion, mathematicians, some years ago, brought about certain rules to solve expressions that include multiple operators. This is known as the BODMAS rule.

WHAT IS BODMAS RULE?

BODMAS rule is a rule that instructs mathematicians on how to solve a mathematical expression. It gives an order sequence of operations that has to be followed when solving an equation that involves multiple operators in it.

BODMAS is a very crucial concept that has proved to be useful in many instances that require fast calculations. Thus, you must learn this concept of BODMAS very thoroughly

The acronym for BODMAS is -

Brackets – Order – Division – Multiplication – Addition - Subtraction

So, you begin with the letter ‘B’ and start moving towards the right, from which you can get answers to complex equations.

The table below depicts the meaning of every letter in the acronym BODMAS -

An Example To Help You Understand Better

Having explained the rule for BODMAS and how operations should be performed on the mathematical expressions, let us see how far you have understood.

Let us take a very simple example. To solve the below expression using BODMAS, let us go through this in a stepwise manner:

4(10+15÷5×4-2×2)

Firstly, you must solve the terms that are fitted inside the brackets:
4(10+15÷5×4-2×2)

Here, we do not find any exponential terms. So, moving on to the next step, we lookout for the division operation:
4(10+15÷5x4-2×2)

Solving 15÷5, we arrive at 3 as the result. Next, within the bracket itself, we move on to the multiplication term:
4(10+3×4–2×2)

This gives you 4 for 2x2 and 12 for 3x4. Next in order is the Addition operation:
4(10+12-4)

Adding these two terms gives you 22. Lastly, you are left with the subtraction operation. Solving this, you get 18:
4(22-4)

Now, you are left with the number from outside the bracket. Upon solving that, you get:
=4×18

Hence, the final answer is 72.

Therefore, 4(10+15÷5×4-2×2) = 72.