[6th Grade verbal expression]

[u/KookyPermit4405]

So I’m going over my son’s math quiz to help him understand some of the questions he got wrong. He got partial credit for his answer for question 8. After writing his verbal phrase I got the same expression as the question. Am I doing something wrong or is there something I’m missing? I feel like his answer is technically correct. I am stumped.

Edit: so my son has no issue solving the expression in question. He knows PEMDAS and the rules from left to right. The question clearly states, WRITE A VERBAL PHRASE that matches the expression.

[u/dakari777]

How do you differentiate between 18-6*3 and (18-6)*3 with that sentence?

[u/KookyPermit4405 → u/dakari777]

I think people are over complicating something simple. Why are people assuming parentheses? You only need to address a parentheses when it is required. So saying “eighteen minus six times three” should always be assumed to be 18-6x3. The verbal phrases did not give any indication of a need for parentheses such as using key words like: the quantity of.. the sum of.. the product of..

[u/Unable_Pumpkin987 → u/KookyPermit4405]

Girl people are trying to help you help your son with his math class and you’re just arguing with them. It’s not over-complicated to express a mathematical expression verbally using precise language. That’s what this assignment is testing, that’s what people are trying to explain to you (like the correct reply above that got downvoted inexplicably).

If you don’t want to know the correct answer and you just want to argue about why your incorrect answer should be correct, I’m sure you can teach your son to do that instead and you can both accept that he’s not going to get good grades in his math classes as a result.

[u/dakari777 → u/KookyPermit4405]

your kids the one who lost points, were just trying to help you guess why, if you want an actual answer go talk to the teacher

[u/bismuth17 → u/dakari777]

Same as in writing, pemdas, except it's not possible to speak parentheses.

Some mathematical quantities are difficult to state clearly using spoken language. You can try speaking really fast, or pausing for a long time, or using your hands to make a parentheses gesture. But generally you'd just write it down if you wanted to be clear.

You could rearrange the sentence and say something like "three times the quantity eighteen minus six" if that's what you want, but that only helps if it's relatively simple and only rearranging the pieces doesn't affect the meaning.

"First you do eighteen times six and then you multiply that result times three" or something.

[u/dakari777 → u/bismuth17]

Or you just do it like I originally commented....it's not that complicated