Numerical aptitude · Numbers
Simplification and BODMAS, made easy
💡 The idea
A long sum must be done in the right order: Brackets, Orders (powers), Divide and Multiply, then Add and Subtract.
( ) brackets→x² powers→× ÷ left to right→+ − left to right
🧭 The method: 3 steps
- Do anything in brackets first, then powers.
- Then all the × and ÷, from left to right.
- Last, the + and −, from left to right.
🎬 Every kind of question, in pictures
Pick a kind. Guess the answer first, then watch the picture work it out. Tap any step to see it in the picture.
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✏️ Worked examples
Example 1. 8 + 4 × 3 − 6 ÷ 2
- × and ÷ first: 4 × 3 = 12, 6 ÷ 2 = 3
- Now 8 + 12 − 3 = 17
Example 2. 1/3 + 1/4
- Make the bottoms the same: 12
- 1/3 = 4/12, 1/4 = 3/12
- 4/12 + 3/12 = 7/12
Example 3. 0.25 × 64
- 0.25 = 1/4
- 1/4 of 64 = 16
⚠️ Where people go wrong
- Going left to right without BODMAS: 8 + 4 × 3 is 20, not 36.
- Adding fractions top + top and bottom + bottom (1/3 + 1/4 is NOT 2/7).
- “Of” means multiply.
📌 Remember
- BODMAS
- 0.25 = 1/4, 0.125 = 1/8, 0.2 = 1/5, 0.75 = 3/4
- Fractions: same bottom first