I would have to say the answer is 2
2
288
I would have to say the answer is 2
>> BODMAS ...
Don't remember that acronym. Was standard to learn rules of precedence.
I like this one better....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operationsThere is a new mnemonic featured in Danica McKellar's books Math Doesn't Suck[2] and Kiss My Math[3] that does address this very issue: "Pandas Eat: Mustard on Dumplings, and Apples with Spice." The intention being that Mustard and Dumplings is a "dinner course" and that Apples and Spice is a "dessert course." Then it becomes not a linear string of operations to do one after the other, but rather the "dinner course" operations are considered together and performed left to right, and then addition and subtraction are considered together, again performed again left to right.
This whole debate could have been avoided with an extra pair of brackets.
Last edited by shri; 14-04-2011 at 10:34 AM.
I thought it was BIDMAS 288 lol 24x12
Brackets Indices Division Multiplication Addition Subtraction
Last edited by bryant.english; 14-04-2011 at 10:44 AM.
Sure, it's a deliberately badly written equation designed to generate precisely this discussion. A quick google suggests that it has previous form
Here a bunch of physicists discuss the same problem: 48÷2(9+3)
I'm gonna have to sit on the fence and say it's both. The notation is quite ambiguous, because 48÷2(9+3) can be interpreted as:
(48÷2)(9+3) = 288
OR
48
------ = 2
2(9+3)
Basically, 1/2x could mean either (1/2)x or 1/(2x).
Wow. I can't see how this is a trick question but amazing the divergence. I got 2 based on this guy's logic from the Physics link. My old math says you simply add the 9 and 3 and multiply by 2 making it 48 divided by 2.
GbNash:
Re: 48÷2(9+3)
288? Following PEMDAS, I get 2:
48÷2*(9+3) = 48÷2*(12) = 48÷24 = 2
The reason why some people are getting 288 is that they're forgetting that there's an invisible multiply sign in the expression.
Honestly though, if I ever saw this I would apply a facepalm. It's not good notation and like you're seeing, it's ambiguous without proper use of parentheses and will confuse people. It's better notation to say LaTeX Code: \\frac{48}{2(9+3)}
I like this link for a nice summary : 48÷2(9+3) = ? | Know Your Meme
I'm not changing my answer (2).
HC