BODMAS Worksheet
BODMAS practice with brackets, orders and the left-to-right rule. The answer key uses BODMAS words throughout.
What BODMAS stands for
Brackets, Orders (powers and roots), Division and Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. It is the usual name in the UK, India, Pakistan, Australia and many other countries; BIDMAS and BEDMAS are local variants of the same rule.
D comes before M in the word, but they are one step: whichever is further left goes first. The same holds for A and S.
The order, in BODMAS words
- BBrackets
- OOrders (powers)
- DMDivision and multiplication, left to right
- ASAddition and subtraction, left to right
Simplify each expression. Work out brackets first, then orders (powers), then division and multiplication from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.
Worked examples
From a BODMAS sheet, solved the way the answer key shows them:
- 43 + (5 + 1) = 70
- Brackets: 5 + 1 = 643 + 6
- Orders: 4³ = 6464 + 6
- Addition: 64 + 6 = 7070
- (22 − 2) × (19 + 20) = 78
- Brackets, orders: 2² = 4(4 − 2) × (19 + 20)
- Brackets: 4 − 2 = 22 × (19 + 20)
- Brackets: 19 + 20 = 392 × 39
- Multiplication: 2 × 39 = 7878
- (20 − 14 − 3) × 23 = 24
- Brackets, subtraction (left to right): 20 − 14 = 6(6 − 3) × 23
- Brackets: 6 − 3 = 33 × 23
- Orders: 2³ = 83 × 8
- Multiplication: 3 × 8 = 2424
More worksheets
Questions
What does the O in BODMAS mean?
Orders, meaning powers and roots, such as 3² or 2³. Some schools say BIDMAS (indices) or BEDMAS (exponents); all three mean the same.
Should division come before multiplication in BODMAS?
No. Division and multiplication are one step, done from left to right. 8 × 6 ÷ 3 is 48 ÷ 3 = 16, working left to right.
Do PEMDAS, GEMDAS and BODMAS give different answers?
No. They are three names for the same rules. PEMDAS says parentheses, GEMDAS says grouping symbols, BODMAS says brackets and orders. Every problem on this site has one answer whichever name you pick; only the words in the instructions and the answer-key labels change.
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