Spelling

[Guest]

A scientific calculator need telling which computation to perform first (i.e. the use of brackets) it's designed that way because it's normally only used for advanced mathematics/formulae etc.

Anyway..... the spelling ... these days (as much as i hate to say this) it seems if it looks right then it'll do.

To quote a line or two from Chelmsford 123.

W ... A ... L ... L spells WELL in my book!

"What book's that Wolfsbane?"

"Speeling four Bigooners!!"

[Guest]

Sorry Edgar, but I think you'll find it's BODMASBrackets first

Orders (square roots etc)

Division

Multiplication

Addition

Subtraction

In 1948, 7-year-olds were not taught exotica like square roots (that came about 5 years later, when we were taught how to do them arithmetically, since pocket calculators were non-existent, and slide-rules were too inaccurate,) and "orders" were unheard of.

"Of" was reserved for fractional calculations, e.g. 3/4 OF 3/4 = 9/16, and was therefore given the same status as multiplication, hence their side-by-side standing in the mnemonic; we were taught that doing M, or D, first, made no difference (likewise A & S) so BOMDAS or BODMAS.

It's good to see that not all methods, from over 70 years ago, have been discarded, though.

[Guest]

Funny world how did we get form spelling to this bodmas thing. Do not worry I like this argument about maths.

Matter of interest & much of a surprise I even predate Edgar. Never even heard of bodmas. In my maths days there were no quotations as such you learnt by experience it was drummed in you did not need them.

Also we learnt parrot fashion all the tables up to twelve. And Edgar at 6 & 7 years old & each table has it's square root. We also had a teacher who taught adding, subtraction, division in a practical way by breaking down the problem. Thanks Mrs Maths.

Amazed when you have young assistants in shops trying to percentage a cost even the easiest of 10% which they find a mystery.

Loved maths except for trigonometry. Each wrong answer, most of mine, was awarded three wacks across the bum with a chemistry tripod. Calculus was great until along came Cricket which is far better form of maths

Laurie

[Guest]

Matter of interest & much of a surprise I even predate Edgar.

DO WHAT?????

I had you down as about the same age as me ... late forties ish

even more kudos on your modeling skills young man !!!

[Guest]

No no born November 1938. Just managed to scrape in before Hitler & his mob with a mass of Messerschmitts Heinkels then Flying bombs etc tried to snuff me out in my prime.

He failed good old Anderson Shelters.

Laurie

[BarryW]

I so agree about text speak, it is just awful and I really cannot read it. I cannot help but wonder about adults who use that, l least outside of texts themselves...

Informal writing on posts and threads such as this is very different to a more formal writing context and I do think, yes myself included, that we can get over concerned about spelling (and grammar) in these posts. That said, I do draw the line at text speak...

[Ian M]

Hear, Hear. If it was up to me, I would ban the use of test speak on the forum. However, there are quite a few that keep tabs on us from smart phones, so that would just be unfair to them.

Whilst on the subject of spelling and smart phones, has any one been a victim of that wonderful thing called predictive spelling.

It's really fun sometimes but others, not so funny.

Ian M

[Guest]

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you cansitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

[Ian M]

I saw that wasn't it the first and last two letters.

And just how long did it take you the write that little sentence? lol

Ian M

[Guest]

It took me seconds to give up reading it Ian.

Laurie

[Dave W]

I wouldnt worry about spelling.I for one am not bothered if someone makes a spelling mistake.Dont even use a spelling checker myself and i know i make mistakes.

[Gern]

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you cansitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Andrew, you beat me to it! I saw this some years ago and was going to use it to back up the comments that spelling on here isn't critical - but meaning is.

Incidentally, how many of you realised there are two 'spelling' mistakes (wrong lists of letters) in the first line?

Gern

[Guest]

I first started using computer forums or as they were called back then Group Conferencing in the mid 80s on BPs world-wide network of Vax and Unix computers and from there picked up some of the phrases that people think are modern "text speak". Things such as LOL, ROFL, BTW, IMO ISTR and so on. I have to remind myself sometimes NOT to say "BTW" when I mean By The Way.

I to use proper punctuation and spell words out when I'm sending a text (except of course for the above age-old examples). I wouldn't be seen dead using M8 or GR8 etc.

I'm one of the oldest people in my office and it still astounds me just how bad my colleagues spelling is, even with spell-checkers. There is one person who cannot do their there they're at all, he just doesn't get it so its nearly always wrong!

Bah, the youth of today...

[Guest]

Bah, the youth of today...

Calm down calm down Andrew.

Think it depends on the era you come from. Mine was you do not make mistakes. There was a right way & a wrong way end of discussion. Like the their & there, bought & brought. Then the adjectives tiny small object what does the tiny refer to small or object. The red pen was out you can not have two adjectives per noun.

But things have changed. Unfair really to blame the latest generation. They relied on the present generation of parents & grand parents to teach them. Also computers have changed irrevocably society. Good bad ?

Good though as non of this, this forum, would exist. At infant school we actually used sand trays to draw pictures. Mini blackboards to write on. A mini bottle of milk & a straw. No telephone, what no telephone ? My youngest grandson, on a visit, now takes over my computer & he is just coming up to five.

Laurie

[Gern]

Very interesting this Dave, So it seems that the scientific calculator is working backwards, 2/2 =1, 1+2 =3 But how, why ???

Sorry Colin. Misread your reply so didn't answer.

There are two ways of doing this calculation. Either do the addition first to get two plus two (equals four) then divide by two to get the answer two.

Or you could do the division first to get two divided by two (equals one) plus two to get three.

The guys have mentioned BODMAS. This is/was a mathematical convention used to define the order in which multiple calculations should be carried out. This ensured that, at least in theory, when you wrote a multiple calculation, the rule made you write it in a specific order to ensure that it gave the result you wanted. It also made sure that anyone else would use the same rule to work it out.

Nowadays though, ALL simple calculators, and the calculators on SOME mobile phones - but not all - use sequential calculations; ie they do the calculation in the order it is written. But ALL scientific calculators and SOME mobile phones - but not all - use the old BODMAS rule. All this makes life very confusing for kids trying to learn maths today.

A couple of examples I use with my students:

Example 1

You want to buy an identity bracelet. The jeweller has quoted £50 for the bracelet and £2 per letter for the engraving. If you want the name DAVID engraved, how much will the bracelet cost?

Scientific calculator (BODMAS)

Cost of brace let = £50 + £2 × 5 = £60 Correct!

Normal cheap calculator

Cost of bracelet = £50 + £2 × 5 = £260 Wrong!

Example 2

You play for a local darts team which has just come third in the league. Your team receives £200 in prize money from the league and during the year you have collected £300 from selling raffle tickets. If there are 10 members on the team, how much should each receive?

Scientific calculator (BODMAS)

Amount received = £200 + £300 ÷ 10 = £230 Wrong!

Normal cheap calculator

Amount received = £200 + £300 ÷ 10 = £50 Correct!

It doesn't matter what rule you pick - BODMAS or Sequential - as long as you follow it and use it correctly. Where everything breaks down of course is when different people use different rules.

And here was you thinking how much easier it is for kids to do maths today than it was for you! You didn't have all these new-fangled gadgets like calculators and computers to do all the work for you!

Gern