Big Old Dogs Make Awesome Sandwiches (BODMAS)
Order of Operations (BODMAS / PEMDAS)
Class 6Class 7Class 8SSCBanking
Items to Memorize
- Brackets / Parentheses
- Orders / Exponents
- Division
- Multiplication
- Addition
- Subtraction
Mnemonic Tricks
How It Maps
| Cue | Maps To |
|---|---|
| Big | Brackets |
| Old | Orders (powers/roots) |
| Dogs | Division |
| Make | Multiplication |
| Awesome | Addition |
| Sandwiches | Subtraction |
Why It Sticks
A silly image of a big old dog making sandwiches is impossible to forget — and each word locks in one operation in the right order.
Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally (PEMDAS)
How It Maps
| Cue | Maps To |
|---|---|
| Please | Parentheses |
| Excuse | Exponents |
| My | Multiplication |
| Dear | Division |
| Aunt | Addition |
| Sally | Subtraction |
Why It Sticks
The American counterpart to BODMAS — same rules, different packaging. Note that multiplication and division have equal precedence (left to right), same for addition and subtraction.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between BODMAS and PEMDAS?
They are the same rule with different names. BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) is used in India and UK. PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) is used in the US. The math is identical.
Does multiplication always come before division?
No! Multiplication and division have equal precedence — you solve them left to right as they appear. Same for addition and subtraction. The mnemonic order can be misleading on this point.
What are 'Orders' in BODMAS?
Orders refer to exponents (powers) and roots. For example, 2³ = 8 or √9 = 3. After brackets, you evaluate these before any other arithmetic.
Is BODMAS important for competitive exams?
Absolutely. SSC, Banking, and school exams frequently test order of operations in simplification questions. Getting this wrong cascades errors through the entire calculation.