Calculator Query

jewels.p

This is bugging us in the office.

If you have £120,000 x 87,500 and it is outwith the scope of the calculator what digits do you knock off to get the correct answer cause if you knock off three on the £120,000 you cant knock off three on the £87,500 but if you multiply 120 x 87.5 it doesnt give you the right answer!

A-Vic

= 10,500,000 just tried the same way 120x87.5 then put 3 0's at the end

120 x 87.5 = 10500

A-Vic

on the computer calculator it can do the scope and i get the same answer

jewels.p

These were just example figures I just wondered what you do in an exam if there is a figure that has for example 500 in it like £87,500 how do you knock the zeros off? :laugh:

taskey

you would just knock of the zero's and put in a decimal, so 15500 would become 15.5

A-Vic

and tut at you jewels making me think on a work day thats a first

jewels.p

taskey wrote: »

you would just knock of the zero's and put in a decimal, so 15500 would become 15.5

That doesnt work Taskey cause (using my earlier figures) 120 x 87.5 = 10,500 add back the three zeros and you get £10,500,000 then answer should be £10,500,000,000

A-Vic

jewels.p wrote: »

That doesnt work Taskey cause (using my earlier figures) 120 x 87.5 = 10,500 add back the three zeros and you get £10,500,000 then answer should be £10,500,000,000

yeah i noticed that just now

taskey

mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

stumped me now - sorry hun. my advice, get a better calculator lol

Tracy

Andy Blyth

The best way to do it is to simplify one of the numbers, not both. Then this technique works.

120 x 87,500 = 10,500,000

Add back the three 0's = 10,500,000,000



If you simplify both numbers, you need to add back the zeros from both numbers which were simplified, not just one of them:

120 x 87.5 = 10,500

Add back six 0's = 10,500,000,000

jewels.p

Thanks Andy you have settled it now! :thumbup1:

bumblebee

jewels.p wrote: »

This is bugging us in the office.

If you have £120,000 x 87,500 and it is outwith the scope of the calculator what digits do you knock off to get the correct answer cause if you knock off three on the £120,000 you cant knock off three on the £87,500 but if you multiply 120 x 87.5 it doesnt give you the right answer!

Works on my calculator (You need a 12 digit calculator)!
Although, Andy's method works and is easy to remember.

A-Vic

or just use the pc calculator

blobbyh

As accountants, we should all own decent 12 digit calculators anyway and shame on those that don't. I'm surprised that those of you in practice are working with inadequate tools - and yep, a calculator is an important tool!

Professional footballers don't play in trainers and pro-tennis players don't use twenty quid rackets from JJB.

CJC

I thought accountants were supposed to know about maths. Isn't it obvious that if you're simplifying by dividing through by 1,000 you need to multiply by 1,000,000 to get the answer?

[u]a[/u] * [u]b[/u] = [u]ab[/u]   hence a * b  = [u]ab[/u] * [u]c*c[/u]
c   c   c*c                 c*c   1

Or just use the PC calculator as Vic said.

jewels.p

CJC wrote: »

I thought accountants were supposed to know about maths. Isn't it obvious that if you're simplifying by dividing through by 1,000 you need to multiply by 1,000,000 to get the answer?

[u]a[/u] * [u]b[/u] = [u]ab[/u]   hence a * b  = [u]ab[/u] * [u]c*c[/u]
c   c   c*c                 c*c   1

Or just use the PC calculator as Vic said.

Oh well looks like there is a lot of accountants that dont know about maths then doesn't it! No it wasnt obvious to a few of us.

I was asking the question from an exam point of view so wouldnt be able to use a pc.

blobbyh

CJC wrote: »

I thought accountants were supposed to know about maths

We need to be able to do arithmatic for sure but as for pure mathematics, I don't really think so. I got a U at maths O' level and a grade one CSE just six months later yet the latter is supposed to be the equivalent of a C grade at the former. Not even close.

Anyway, we have calculators and if there was ever a situation in the modern world where calculators wouldn't exist anymore, I think we'd probably have greater problems to worry about...

CJC

I broadly agree with you about calculators but if I'm doing calculations using numbers with lots of 0s I quite often knock a few off just to save on keystrokes. Sure you don't needtoa maths wizard to be an accountant but some basic knowledge of algebra does comes in handy – e.g. for working out percentages or balance sheet ratios &c.

Maths A-level Grade D btw.

Bluewednesday

CJC wrote: »

Maths A-level Grade D btw.

Snap! Pretty poor by todays standards ha ha