Name: 【TED-Ed】我用數學擊敗猛龍！ How to defeat a dragon with math - Garth Sundem
Uploaded: 2013-05-18T11:58:11.000Z
Duration: 3 min 47 s

Once upon a time, in the magical and very round Land of Pi, there lived six swashbuckling musketeers.

很久、很久以前，在圓形土地 Pi 的魔法國度裡，住著神氣活現的六位劍客。

Their names were Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.

他們分別叫做「括號」、「指數」、「乘」、「除」、「加」以及「減」。

But each was known best by his or her mark:

但他們都以各自的代表符號聞名：

The two hands ready to catch a fly of Parentheses, the small and raised digits of Exponents, the mighty X of Multiplication, slash of Division, plus of Addition, and, well, you can guess the symbol by which little Subtraction was best known.

雙手準備好抓住蒼蝿的「括號」、數字變小且升高的「指數」、一個大 X 代表「乘」、斜線代表「除」、＋號代表「加」以及，嗯，你也應該猜得到代表小小「減」法的符號。

The Land of Pi was not necessarily the most peaceful place, and that's why the numbers of the kingdom needed the musketeers.

Pi 之國並不全然是最和平的國度，這也是這王國的數字居民需要這六位劍客的原因。

The Land of Pi had been ruled by the numbers as an anarcho-syndicalist commune, each number with a vote.

Pi 之國是由所有數字共同治理的無政府工團主義自治區，每個數字都持有一張票。

But, one powerful number ⏤ from what we'll call the Imperial Senate ⏤ engineered a war between some robot things and the knights of the kingdom, and then installed himself as Supreme Emperor.

然而，有一個從我們所謂帝國元老院的一個強大數字發起了一場機器與王國內騎士之間的戰爭，接著自己登基為至高無上的統治者。

And then, Puff the Magic Digit Dragon ate him, and a princess or two, and, well, all the other numbers in the Land of Pi, actually.

接著，魔法數字龍帕夫吃掉了他，還有一、兩名公主，還有，嗯，所有 Pi 之國的其它數字。

Anyway, the musketeers were called to action to save the Land of Pi from the voracious dragon.

言歸正傳，六劍客被徵召來保衛 Pi 之國，避免受到殘暴的龍迫害。

They rode towards him on their valiant steeds and attacked.

他們騎著英勇的戰馬朝發起攻擊。

First Multiplication, then Parentheses ⏤ but that didn't work.

首先是「乘」，再來是「括號」，但都以失敗告終。

所以「加」也試著攻擊，但被拋到一旁。

Exponents leaped at the beast and was quickly squashed.

「指數」躍上巨獸身軀，但很快就被踩扁了。

The musketeers huddled and formulated a plan.

六劍客聚在一起擬定了一個計劃。

They would attack in sequence, but who should go first?

他們要有次序地攻擊，但該由誰先來呢？

They bickered for a while, the dragon ate a few more princesses, and then they finally agreed.

他們爭吵了一陣子、魔法龍又多吃了幾位公主，然後他們終於達成協議。

They jumped into the first, smallest parentheses inside the great Puff the Digit Dragon.

他們跳進數字龍帕夫體內最初、最小的一組括號。

Parentheses pointed out where to work first and protected Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction while they diced and sliced.

「括號」首先指出從哪個部份下手，然後在「指數」、「乘」、「除」、「加」與「減」大展身手時，保護著他們。

"First here, then move over there, then there."

「先攻擊這裡、然後移那邊，再到那裡。」

Parentheses pointed and Exponents took the lead.

「括號」一指，「指數」便帶頭進攻。

Then, it was Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction, each in turn, always the same order.

接著是「乘」、「除」、「加」與「減」依序攻擊，總是照著同樣的順序。

P-E-M-D-A-S（括、指、乘、除、加、減）。

When they finished that set, they went to another, and another, always working inside the Parentheses in PEMDAS order.

當他們完成那組算式，就前往下一組，然後再一組，總是依 PEDMAS 的順序在括號中出擊。

Don't forget, there can be Parentheses inside Parentheses.

別忘了，括號裡還可以有括號。

Finally, the PEMDAS Musketeers had whittled Puff down to his last fearsome roar.

最後，PEMDAS 六劍客把帕夫打倒，魔法龍發出了最後一聲令人懼怕的吼叫。

But, having vanquished Puff the Magic Digit Dragon, all the empire's numbers sprang again from this tiny little number one, and they all lived happily ever after ⏤

不過，在把魔法數字龍帕夫打倒後，所有王國裡的數字居民再度從小小的數字 1 延伸並過著幸福快樂的日子。

except for the Emperor Number, which they threw into the mouth of an ancient creature nesting in the desert.

除了那個數字統治者以外，他被居民丟到了沙漠裡古代藤蔓植物的口中。