For Parent
BEDMAS
BEDMAS stands for Brackets (or Parentheses), Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction. It is a mathematical order of operations used when solving an equation. The general rule of BEDMAS is that all calculations within brackets must be done first, all exponents must be done afterwards, and, finally, you move left to right and complete all multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction in order. The mathematical equation representing BEDMAS looks like this:
(brackets) → exponent → divide → multiply → add → subtract
Helping a 14 year old with ADHD understand BEDMAS can be challenging. Here are five issues they might encounter and tips on how you can help them overcome them:
1. Overwhelming Amount of Information
Having to take in so much information at once can be overwhelming for a person with ADHD. You can help by breaking down BEDMAS step-by-step and having them practice it a few times. Take a practice equation and walk them through it, pointing out what each operation is, how it works, and how to complete it correctly.
2. Difficulty Retaining Information
As a parent, you can help by coming up with activities that will help to reinforce the material. For example, make flash cards of problems that must be answered by using BEDMAS. They can practice these with you during study time and it will help them to increase their understanding and retention skills.
3. Problems with Concentration
Concentration is a major obstacle for someone with ADHD. To help them, you can break up their study time into small sections. By doing the lessons broken down into smaller sections it will help them to stay focused for longer periods of time and ultimately help them retain more of the information.
4. Impulsivity
Impulsivity is another challenge faced when studying topics such as BEDMAS. You can help by increasing their understanding of the material by having them explain it back to you and making sure they are able to answer questions related to the topic. You can also try and reward your child for their accomplishments, as this can help to motivate them and encourage positive behaviour when studying.
5. Difficulty Making Connections
Helping your child make connections can be a difficult task but it is an important step in their learning process. You can help them make connections by giving them examples that they can easily relate to. For instance, when studying exponents you can ask them how many hours in a day is equal to 24^2 and have them explain why it is equal to 576.
To help your child with BEDMAS, it is important to provide a positive learning environment and to be patient with them. Find out what types of learning activities your child best responds to and provide them with those. Encourage them to ask questions and reward them for their accomplishments. Finally, give them plenty of practice so that they can become more comfortable with the equations and topics associated with BEDMAS.
For Youth
BEDMAS stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction and is a way to simplify an equation with those operations. To help you understand it better, let’s take a look at an example.
Let’s say you have the equation 5 + 2 x 4 – 3. If we just follow the order of the equation, the answer would be 9. But if you were to use BEDMAS, the answer would be 17 because brackets, exponents, division and multiplication always come before addition and subtraction. To follow BEDMAS, we first have to solve the multiplication, which is (2 x 4 = 8). So the equation now looks like 5 + 8 – 3, which is 10.
Now, since the equation follows the order of BEDMAS, we can go on and add and subtract. 5 + 8 is 13 and 13 – 3 is 10. So the answer is 17.
For someone with ADHD, it might be a bit hard to keep up with the order of BEDMAS. It can be helpful to write down each step, that way you can track each operation. And it also helps to break down a big equation into smaller parts and focus on one step at a time.
Sometimes it can also be useful to draw a picture or talk it through with someone to help break down the equation. Taking a break from the equation and doing something completely different can sometimes help too.
