Help: Numbers methods
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It's very handy to type your method directly into the "Notes" box during the numbers round, rather than using the window that pops up at the end. This page specifies the exact syntax that is permitted in the Notes box.
- The Notes box must contain one line which evaluates to the target you've declared, and no other text. For example, if you declared 125, the box might contain "100+25". If you declared 318, the box might contain (100+6)x3.
- If what you've written does not evaluate to the declared target, or is wrong in some other way, the standard method entry window will appear as normal. For example, if you declared 136 and the box contained "100+25", this method would simply be ignored and you would have a chance to make 136 as normal. So there is never a disadvantage to attempting a method during the round.
- The expression is evaluated according to the normal mathematical rules of precedence known as BDMAS: brackets, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction. (You may know this as BIDMAS, but indices are not allowed here.) So 100x3+4 would be 304, whereas 100x(3+4) would be 700.
- We endeavour to be as flexible as possible in which symbols we accept:
- Opening brackets can be written as (, {, or [. Closing brackets can be ), }, or ]. Mixing and matching is allowed, e.g. 100x(4+2} would evaluate as 600. Redundant brackets are also allowed, so (({100}x[3+4])) would still be evaluated as 700.
- Addition is denoted by +
- Subtraction is denoted by -
- Multiplication is denoted by *, x, or ×
- Division is denoted by /