PEDMSA?

You may have seen “PEMDAS” and other mnemonics
For math, but I lack satisfaction:
Parentheses, exponents, multiplication,
Division, addition, subtraction?

You’re really supposed to subtract before adding.
Take eight minus seven plus one.
From PEMDAS, you’d think the solution was zero,
Not two as it’s properly done.

Moreover, don’t multiply ere you divide.
Of course, fractions help make the point clear,
As four over twenty times twenty is four,
Not a hundredth, which isn’t so near.

Yet mathematicians declare that M’s equal
To D and A’s equal to S.
Perform operations in left-to-right order,
And then you’ll avoid the whole mess.

To my mind, they made it less simple than needed.
Just say “P-E-D-M-S-A.”
Admittedly, that doesn’t roll off the tongue,
So perhaps it’s less catchy that way.

In any event, if you fear ambiguity,
You can rely on parens:
Whatever’s inside them gets highest priority.
Thank you for reading, my friends.