Join 60,000+ competitive exam aspirants
What will come in place of (?) if '+' and '-' are interchanged and 'x' and '/' are interchanged in: 48 / 12 x 4 + 10 - 2 = ?
14
16
18
20
16
Substitute the symbols first and apply the BODMAS rule carefully from left to right.
Substitute the symbols first and apply the BODMAS rule carefully from left to right.
Step 1: Identify Symbol Interchanges
Replace '+' with '-', '-' with '+', 'x' with '/', and '/' with 'x' as specified in the rule.
Step 2: Formulate New Expression
The original expression 48 / 12 x 4 + 10 - 2 transforms into 48 x 12 / 4 - 10 + 2 after interchanging all designated operators.
Step 3: Evaluate Using BODMAS
Perform multiplication and division from left to right, followed by addition and subtraction, which simplifies the expression down to 16.
A: 14 is incorrect because it does not match the evaluated result. C: 18 is incorrect as the arithmetic computation does not yield this value. D: 20 is incorrect because the verified final calculation results in 16.
B is correct because substituting the operators and evaluating the expression according to BODMAS yields 16.
Always rewrite the entire expression with the new signs clearly before starting calculations to prevent sign confusion.