Moves in the right order — the math kata.

In karate, a kata is a routine: a fixed sequence of moves performed in an exact order — bow, then strike, then kick. Never shuffled. The same moves in a different order is a different kata (or just falling over).

Build one yourself below. Fair warning: this teaches you absolutely no math. It's just fun. (But sneakily notice: your kata IS its order…)

Look at this innocent little sum: 3 + 4 × 2.

Robo-Lefty just reads left to right: 3 + 4 is 7, then × 2 makes 14. Kata-Kid does the multiplication first: 4 × 2 is 8, then 3 + 8 makes 11.

Two different answers can't both be right — imagine if your calculator and your friend's disagreed! That's exactly why the kata exists: everyone follows the same order, so everyone gets the same answer. And the official answer here is 11.

Four ranks, from first move to last. The letters spell the name:

Brackets → pOwers → Divide & Multiply → Add & Subtract  (BODMAS)
Parentheses → Exponents → Multiply & Divide → Add & Subtract  (PEMDAS)

⚠️ The famous trap: M and D are equal rank (and so are A and S). PEMDAS does not mean multiply before divide — for equal ranks you simply go left to right, like reading a book.

The kata turns a scary sum into a calm checklist. Scan for the highest rank first, do that one move, write down the smaller sum, and repeat. One move at a time — never rush a kata.