Poll: 6÷2(1+2)

[aspirins]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwpWw-iVKHc has a few swear words - ok?

different calculation, but same idea

48÷2(9+3)

 

[Scon]

There is no right answer.

If I said to you lot:

A = 6
B = 2(1+2)

What is A ÷ B?

... It is unambiguously equal to 1 as we treat A and B as separate terms.

The argument I failed to comprehend before this thread is that the expression can actually be interpreted in two ways:

(6÷2) * (1+2) which gives an answer of 9 - The same you would get using BODMAS.

(OR)

6÷(2(1+2)) which gives 1 - and IMO makes more sense given practical mathematical application.

BUT THAT ISN'T THE QUESTION!

 

[trigger-happy]

scientific calculator says 1!

 

[Gangster]

C'mon seriously? Some people....

19 of you that answered 1, hope your employer isn't looking at this!

Name and shame the 19.

 

[Nitefly]

I've got the Casio power graphic fx-9750g and it says one too. It's just ours are doing the multiplication first before the division. That is all.

The two different ways are:

division first

6 / 2(1+2) = x
6 / 2(3) = x
3(3) = x
9 = x

multiplication first

6 / 2(1+2) = x
6 / 2(3) = x
6 / 6 = x
1 = x

So there we go, that's the real answer until we get more parentheses clearly defining the problem.

Ah I see, thanks. I've been doing a bit of googling and perhaps I was just taught wrong at school - multiplication always came before division, but pfft it was a pretty terrible school.

Who cares, never have to do a maths exam again, phew

 

[Redmint]

The confusion comes when some have learnt BODMAS and others have learnt PEDMAS. The latter states division comes after multiplication.

The trouble is people see a / or ÷ symbol and mentally turn it into a fraction:

6
-----
2(2+1)

The other problem is people think of factorisation:

(4 + 2) = 2(2 + 1) which is quite correct, however in this case you'd need an extra set of brackets:

6 / (2(2+1)) otherwise the factorisation doesn't happen (in a calculator).

If someone who wasn't being careful wanted to put:

6
-----
2(2+1)

into a calculator they might write it as the question was originally phrased: 6/2(2+1) and get the wrong answer.

Interestingly Open office Calc (their version of Excel) won't accept the question in it's original form, says there is an error and asks if I meant (6/2) * (2+1). not sure what MS excel thinks?

 

[Strife212]

It is 9, because it doesn't matter how defined it is because you do it left to right - which comes out as 9.

Ah yes true. It is 9 then.

 

[killari]

People need to stop answering these damn questions are start working on Fermat's last theorem!

The general proof for Fermat's Last Theorem was given by Andrew Wiles...

 

[muon]

Interestingly Open office Calc (their version of Excel) won't accept the question in it's original form, says there is an error and asks if I meant (6/2) * (2+1). not sure what MS excel thinks?

Yeh, you can't have an implied * operation in excel either.

 

[Zhokel]

Interestingly Open office Calc (their version of Excel) won't accept the question in it's original form, says there is an error and asks if I meant (6/2) * (2+1). not sure what MS excel thinks?

It asks if you want: 6/2*(2+1)

 

[BunnyKillBot]

A number before a bracket, p(n) is just a short hand way of writing (p(n)) == (p*n). The brackets are implied. The answer is 1.

6/2(1+2) != 6/2 * (1+2) == 6/(2(1+2))

 

[muon]

A number before a bracket, p(n) is just a short hand way of writing (p(n)) == (p*n). The brackets are implied. The answer is 1.

6/2(1+2) != 6/2 * (1+2) == 6/(2(1+2))

Who says this is right?

You say its an implied shorthand, but without that implication its a very different question.

--------

What do different programming languages do

 

[Gangster]

C'mon seriously? Some people....

19 of you that answered 1, hope your employer isn't looking at this!

Name and shame the 19.

C'mon... 24 now!! you are all pulling my leg....

 

[Barks]

BUT THAT ISN'T THE QUESTION!

My points stand.

In practical application of mathematics:

X(A+B) implies one term: (XA+XB)

Otherwise one would write X * (A+B) if that is how they wished it to be interpreted.

1.

 

[Redmint]

scientific calculator says 1!

Actually so does the scientific calc on my phone, so either the calculators don't know BODMAS, or the people saying 9 are wrong.

 

[Van Hellseek]

Sandwich or sandwiches?

I bought a sandwich from the co-op which came with 50% extra free, and the packaging described itself as coming with 3 sandwiches for the price of 2.

Thus as far as I'm concerned this is conclusive evidence that a sandwich cut in half becomes two sandwichES.

 

[Nitefly]

I bought a sandwhich from the co-op which came with 50% extra free, and the packaging described itself as coming with 3 sandwhiches for the price of 2.

Thus as far as I'm concerned is conclusive evidence that a sandwhich cut in half becomes two sandwichES.

You just opened a black hole on my keyboa....

 

[SS-89]

Like stated above people are confusing the calculation as a fraction in which case 1 would be correct. The lack of brackets around (2(1+2)) to create a single expression means the answer is 9.

 

[Zefan]

I bought a sandwhich from the co-op which came with 50% extra free, and the packaging described itself as coming with 3 sandwhiches for the price of 2.

Thus as far as I'm concerned is conclusive evidence that a sandwich cut in half becomes two sandwichES.

I bought a half sandwich from Tesco, and it was half of 2 square slices of bread with filling. Therefore that picture is of one sandwich. FACT.

 

[Gangster]

Actually so does the scientific calc on my phone, so either the calculators don't know BODMAS, or the people saying 9 are wrong.

your calc is not scientific. the answer is 9, clearly.