Symbols and notations — Practice MCQs

In symbols and notations (mathematical operations), symbols stand for the operations +, −, × and ÷, or two signs are interchanged. Substitute carefully, then apply BODMAS.

Method

1. Rewrite the whole expression with the real signs before you calculate.
2. Apply BODMAS: brackets, then ÷ and × from left to right, then + and − from left to right.
3. When two signs are interchanged, swap every occurrence of both signs.

Example

If @ means +, # means ×, $ means − and % means ÷, then 18 % 3 # 4 @ 6 $ 5 = 18 ÷ 3 × 4 + 6 − 5 = 6 × 4 + 6 − 5 = 25.

Common mistakes

• Doing the operations strictly from left to right and ignoring BODMAS.
• Swapping only the first occurrence of an interchanged sign.