Discussions about Hiring and Hiring Practices

[BirdSalad]

Originally Posted by ElkRiverRancher

Here in the States, the arithmetic question would have been written:
1 + (5x9) = ? The brackets are used to indicate the separation of the figures. Without the brackets, the arithmetic would be done 'in order' of appearance, which is why you got answers of 54. Also, in the States, the symbol for multiplication is 'x', not '*'.

LOL - well, not really. I am a public school teacher in the US, and rules of operation always state multiply/divide before add/subtract. Actually, it's this order:
brackets
exponents
multiply/divide
add/subtract

and always from left to right inside each order.

Using the symbol "x" is most common when hand printing, but on calculators or computers, you would use "*" to indicate multiplication, since it is a mathematical symbol. A computer wouldn't know what to do with an "x" in the middle of an equation!

And now you have your mini math lesson for the day, just in case you ever get called to play "Are you smarter than a fifth grader"!