Poll: What is the answer to 48/2(9+3)?

[Keava]

And i'm sure you where also taught that 1,250 isn't 1 and 1/4 either and always assume it's one thousand etc...

Huh?

1 1/4 = 5/4 = 5:4 = 1.25
or
1 1/4 = 1 + 1/4 = 1 + 0.25 = 1.25

0 at end is not needed.

When they taught me how to write "One thousand two hundreds fifty" they didn't use either commas or periods just 1250

 

[cyce3]

it's a very poorly written question, it should either be written as (48/2)*(9+3) or 48/(2*(8+3)) because in its current form you cannot distinguish whether just the 2 is under the 48 or the 2(9+3)

 

[Rafael Dera]

It's nothing more than simple PEMDAS
48/2*(9+3)
You do what's in the parentheses first
48/2*12

No.
You multiply into the paranthesis, as such:
2*(9+3) = (2*9)+(2*3) = 18+6 = 24

Then you do whatever multiplication or division comes first. In this case it was 48/2
24*12

Dude, wat? You'd do that if the question was (42/2)*(9+3). You can't divide by a single number in the denominator and leave out the rest. Everything "above" the division and everything "below" the division.


I hope this is not an indication of American math. Honestly, I suck at math, and this just seems like elementary school stuff to me. Whatever PEMDAS is, this is a clear and easy matter of calculating it using your brain, not a standard formula.

48/2(9+3) = 48/(2*9)+(2*3) = 48/18+6 = 48/24 = 2

Anything else is incorrect.

No. the slash is different from the 'division' bar. division and multiplication are on the same 'rung' and since we read from left to right, the equation is evaluated in that order so it's 48/2 = 24; 24*(9+3) = 288
Simple as that. Anyone who did take some math can tell you this.

 

[Aurgelmir]

If I copy paste that into Excel I get 288.

all in all the problem is poorly written.

 

[mps4li3n]

2... still remember from grade school, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally; Parentheses, Exponent, Multiply, Divide, Addition, Subtract. So... 9+3=12, 12*2=24, 48/24=2.

you remember wrong. you don't solve multiply before divide, they're equal, as are addition and subtraction. that's because dividing is multiplying by a number between 0 and 1 (dividing by 2 is multiplying by 1/2 = 0.5). subtraction same thing, it's addition with a negative number (6 + (-1) = 5)

... *looks*

Yep, you're right. They are the same rank, so you go left to right. That means the answer is 288 if it's written like that. Nice catch.

it's a nice way to remember though :O

Which is probably why we weren't taught any left to right rule here, it's unneeded as you can simply use actual rules of math instead of an artificial one like l->r.


Like i've been saying, it's an interpretation problem, very likely caused by new uses of symbols that haven't had the time to be made into hard rules everywhere.

Basically on paper the difference between "1/2+3" and "1/(2+3) written without ()'s" is easily apparent, while on a computer it's not... same with 2 at the power of x... (that's what 2^x is right?) Except that unlike with the powers the symbol used on the computer isn't distinctive enough... and judging by how even some programs don't get it the same there's not yet a standard that's been embraced by all.

 

[Socken]

I pity people who seriously get 2 as the answer.
Your education system teaches you stuff wrong. Period.

 

[a1el]

288
http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=48%2F2%289%2B3%29

 

[mps4li3n]

And i'm sure you where also taught that 1,250 isn't 1 and 1/4 either and always assume it's one thousand etc...

Huh?

1 1/4 = 5/4 = 5:4 = 1.25
or
1 1/4 = 1 + 1/4 = 1 + 0.25 = 1.25

0 at end is not needed.

It's needed to make a point.... and there's no math rule that says i'm not allowed to use it anyway. And yes, we use "," for decimals here... and it's not Britain (they use ".", the US is on the imperial system, guess where "imperial" comes from -though i'm not sure the "." is officially part of it or it's just weight and lenght, never thought of checking-)

 

[milna64]

If I was to write 48/(2(9+3)) I would probably just write 48/2(9+3). I would write (48/2)(9+3) as either (1/2)48(9+3) or 48(9+3)/2. To split up the equation the way it has been split up suggests that it wants you to do it 48/(2(9+3)), although technically not correct.

 

[mps4li3n]

I pity people who seriously get 2 as the answer.
Your education system teaches you stuff wrong. Period.

You can't teach the wrong symbols for math... not any more then you can teach someone the sound he should make when pronouncing A in french is wrong because it doesn't sound exactly like the english version.


Like i said a million time IT'S NOT A MATH ISSUE!!!! People are interpreting it based on the assumption they where taught to make about what a symbol means in relation to math...

And because it doesn't use the symbols that are more widely recognized, like (), as much as it could it lead to problems.

 

[pejhmon]

you need another set of brackets since this is the kind of thing you can't tell unless it's written out properly.

48 / [2(9+3)] = 2

[48/2] x (9+3) = 288

But the way you have written it implies that the answer is 2 is the beginning of the bracket is right next to the 2 on the base of the fraction. If there was a space between the bracket and the 2 then it may imply the answer to be 288.

 

[mps4li3n]

If I was to write 48/(2(9+3)) I would probably just write 48/2(9+3). I would write (48/2)(9+3) as either (1/2)48(9+3) or 48(9+3)/2. To split up the equation the way it has been split up suggests that it wants you to do it 48/(2(9+3)), although technically not correct.

Because technically one wouldn't run into this problem before computers stopped using punch cards.

And why do you guys use two sets of ()... not [] or {} where you're from? Or just ease of use? Because ease of use (on computers) is what this is all about really.

 

[TiefBlau]

I don't know why you want us to do your homework for you, but I got 288... after you do the parentheses, you're supposed to do them from left to right. I think it's a poorly written problem, though.

lol it's not a homework problem man, I'm not in middle school. This question is blowing up other forums and reddit.

48/2(12) = 2 using PEMDAS

PEMDAS is a misleading term. Multiplication and division are on the same hierarchy, just like subtraction and addition. You wouldn't say 4-3+2 is 4-(3+2), would you? Of course not.

So 48/2(9+3) = 48/2(12)
= 24(12) Since elements of equal hierarchy go left to right
= 288

Honestly, this isn't difficult. Whoever taught you PEMDAS clearly didn't teach you enough about it. The fact that this is a "controversy" is very disconcerting.

I pity people who seriously get 2 as the answer.
Your education system teaches you stuff wrong. Period.

You can't teach the wrong symbols for math... not any more then you can teach someone the sound he should make when pronouncing A in french is wrong because it doesn't sound exactly like the english version.


Like i said a million time IT'S NOT A MATH ISSUE!!!! People are interpreting it based on the assumption they where taught to make about what a symbol means in relation to math...

And because it doesn't use the symbols that are more widely recognized, like (), as much as it could it lead to problems.

No, it most certainly is a math issue. People have been taught the order of operations wrong if they got 2. There's no room for interpretation here any more than there is room for interpretation as to what 4-3+2 equals (spoiler: it's not -1).

 

[mps4li3n]

If I was to write 48/(2(9+3)) I would probably just write 48/2(9+3). I would write (48/2)(9+3) as either (1/2)48(9+3) or 48(9+3)/2. To split up the equation the way it has been split up suggests that it wants you to do it 48/(2(9+3)), although technically not correct.

And that would be quite inconsiderate of you... whenever i had to write something like that on a forum i've always used () and stiff to make it clear what i meant because i can see why it could be confusing.

 

[Woodsey]

BODMAS.

B(rackets)O(rder)D(ivision)M(ultiplication)A(ddition)S(ubtraction).

So 288.

I pity people who seriously get 2 as the answer.
Your education system teaches you stuff wrong. Period.

You can't teach the wrong symbols for math... not any more then you can teach someone the sound he should make when pronouncing A in french is wrong because it doesn't sound exactly like the english version.


Like i said a million time IT'S NOT A MATH ISSUE!!!! People are interpreting it based on the assumption they where taught to make about what a symbol means in relation to math...

And because it doesn't use the symbols that are more widely recognized, like (), as much as it could it lead to problems.

Of course its a maths issue. There's an established order you go through, you can't interpret any which way you like.

 

[Togs]

BIDMAS says its 288

(BIDMAS= Brackets Indices Division Multiplication etc)

 

[William MacKay]

288 using BODMAS (brackets, order, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction).
48/2*(9+3)
=48/2*(12)
=24*12
=288.
never heard of PEMDAS (scottish education system FTL)

 

[Da_Vane]

The answer is 2. When following PEMDAS/BODMAS you need to solve brackets first. This doesn't mean reduce the contents within the brackets to a single number, but removing the brackets completely.

Thus, not only do you need to solve 9+3 to get 12 first, you also need to solve 2(12) because this is still part of solving brackets. This gives you 24.

The fact that this method also backs up the implied format that this is a fraction, where both parts automatically imply brackets, means it is the correct solution. The question is best viewed as (48)/(2(9+3)).

To reach the answer as 288, the question would have to be written as (48/2)(9+3), which is such a deviation from the norm, that it would have to specifically written as such.

Oh, and for the record, 48/2x 24x. The correct answer is 24/x. 48x/2 = 24x. Thus, using substitution, we still arrive at the answer 2 for this equation, given that x=9+3 or 12.