Math: a detail about order of operations

Tutoring math, so often a detail can pose danger. The tutor relates such a case.

Occasionally, regarding order of operations, I’ve heard people say you do addition before subtraction, since of course in BEDMAS, A comes before S. It’s a logical enough conclusion, though I’d argue not the safest way to proceed.

When only addition and subtraction remain, they are done in the order they appear from left to right. Consider, for instance

5-11+7

A scientific calculator will confirm the answer is 1.

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.