Which of the following terms defines the order in which calculations should be carried out?

The term that defines the order in which calculations should be carried out is known as BIDMAS. This acronym stands for Brackets, Indices, Division and Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. It provides a systematic way to remember the sequence of operations that must be followed to accurately solve mathematical expressions.

Understanding BIDMAS is crucial in mathematics, as it clarifies which operations to perform first, ensuring consistent and correct results when evaluating expressions. For instance, when faced with an equation involving brackets and different operations, applying BIDMAS helps in determining that you should first resolve anything inside brackets before moving on to multiplication or addition.

While PEMDAS conveys a similar principle (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction) and is often used interchangeably in some educational contexts, BIDMAS is particularly common in the UK and serves the same purpose of outlining the correct order of operations. The other options, FOIL and ORDER, are unrelated to the primary concept of calculating order; FOIL is specifically a method for multiplying two binomials, while ORDER does not pertain to operational sequences in mathematics.