Poll: 6÷2(1+2)

[nas]

Jesus, some of you people are idiots and need to go back to school.

Its a poor use of brackets...

 

[Pinkribbonscars]

Even if you parse the 'improperly written' version (ie with the division symbol) properly (the standard order of operations), you get the right answer: 9

This is the stupidity of the whole thing. It is insane.

The point is that it should never have been written like that in the first place! If it was written properly as fractions there would be no ambiguity.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

For the upteenth time, the people disagreeing with you were taught the same thing but don't think of it as all-encompassing God-given 'rule' that you do.

Once you start replying to that we might be getting somewhere, although I do suspect at this point only voltage-therapy may be able to persuade your kind self that you might not be completely 100% right as always.

I have replied to it. BODMAS isn't entirely correct just like a lot of things we were taught as children isn't entirely correct (electrons flowing through a circuit, for example). I was taught this as I was taught BODMAS.

I don't have a problem with people getting it wrong, but I do have a problem with people insisting that they are right because they refuse to revise the standardised order of operations - just like I have a problem with any kind of wilful ignorance.

 

[Lopéz]

Why can't people just discuss it without calling each other retards and idiots? Calm down folks, it's an equation....

 

[Hatter The Mad]

Because the problem doesn't clearly show whether we should be multiplying by (1+2) or its reciprocal, you can't say which answer is right.

You can, because there is a rule to follow:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Algebra/Order_of_Operations#The_Standard_Order_of_Operations

Just like there is a rule to parse roman numerals, there is a rule to parse expressions.

 

[guyfawkes5]

just like I have a problem with any kind of wilful ignorance.

Bye.

 

[thecremeegg]

I don't give a crap who has what degree, GCSE or PhD. Having a qualification has never, ever stopped people being wrong abut something.

Standard order of operations:
1)terms inside parenthesis
2)exponents and roots
3)multiplication and division
4)addition and subtraction

1) 1+2 = 3
2) na
3) 6/(2*3)
4) na

= 1

Following that rule

 

[Wyrdo]

Why can't people just discuss it without calling each other retards and idiots? Calm down folks, it's an equation....

Nerd rage

 

[Pinkribbonscars]

No one is saying that 1 is definitely correct and 9 is definitely wrong, they are saying it is ambiguous and the problem is written in a bad way, and that people with education higher than GCSE maths would probably interpret the equation to give an answer of 1.

 

[G-MAN2004]

Its a poor use of brackets...

I know, as I have said previously.

 

[Vonhelmet]

I think what we can conclude is that those with a rigid adherence to year 10 rules get 9, and those who have ever used maths for anything even remotely applied think the question is ambiguous.

 

[Hatter The Mad]

1) 1+2 = 3
2) na
3) 6/(2*3)
4) 1

Following that rule

You've followed it wrongly - the rule states you go left-to-right. You did step (3) right-to-left.

1) 1+2 = 3
2) na
3) 6/2 = 3
4) 3(3) = 9

No one is saying that 1 is definitely correct and 9 is definitely wrong, they are saying it is ambiguous and the problem is written in a bad way, and that people with education higher than GCSE maths would probably interpret the equation to give an answer of 1.

I am saying it is definitely wrong, because we have a universally accepted way of parsing expressions and you can only get an answer of 9 when following it.

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Algebra/Order_of_Operations#The_Standard_Order_of_Operations

 

[gord]

I got 9 with my trusty BODMAS. My scientific calculator thinks it's 1.

 

[Pinkribbonscars]

I think what we can conclude is that those with a rigid adherence to year 10 rules get 9, and those who have ever used maths for anything even remotely applied think the question is ambiguous.

+1000000

 

[Killerkebab]

You can, because there is a rule to follow:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Algebra/Order_of_Operations#The_Standard_Order_of_Operations

Just like there is a rule to parse roman numerals, there is a rule to parse expressions.

Thank you, I know which order operations are to be done in. However as I've said twice already now, the problem isn't the order.

The problem is written in such a way that it is ambiguous whether the reader should multiply by (1+2) or by its reciprocal. Because of this you can't be sure whether the answer should be 9 or 1. Of course it is more likely to be 9, but that doesn't necessarily make it so.

 

[BunnyKillBot]

I think what we can conclude is that those with a rigid adherence to year 10 rules get 9, and those who have ever used maths for anything even remotely applied think the question is ambiguous.

And its those year 10s who say 'zomg you iz so stoopid! derpy de derp'

 

[Hatter The Mad]

The problem is written in such a way that it is ambiguous whether the reader should multiply by (1+2) or by its reciprocal. Because of this you can't be sure whether the answer should be 9 or 1. Of course it is more likely to be 9, but that doesn't necessarily make it so.

The way it is written here is only a problem if people don't know how to properly parse expressions.

I think what we can conclude is that those with a rigid adherence to year 10 rules get 9, and those who have ever used maths for anything even remotely applied think the question is ambiguous.

Anyone with experience above year 10 should be familiar with the standard order of operations, which can only give the answer of 9 when followed. If they're not familiar with it and get an answer of 1, they should get familiar with it and try again.

 

[Vonhelmet]

And its those year 10s who say 'zomg you iz so stoopid! derpy de derp'

The funny thing is that all this BIDMAS business is great for passing your GCSE maths exam, but once you get into actually using that maths for anything useful, you'd expect it to be more clearly written, not least because if, say, you were solving an equation as part of a physics or engineering problem, you'd be the one working from one line to the next so you'd know what you were talking about. It's not like you're solving a problem and you go from one line to the next and suddenly think "Oh no! This doesn't make sense! BIDMAS TO THE RESCUE!". Unless you're a fool with the memory of a goldfish you'd know what you were doing on the previous line and you'd bracket accordingly as you moved to the next one to keep things clear.

 

[Pinkribbonscars]

The way it is written here is only a problem if people don't know how to properly parse expressions.

No, no one with any maths experience would write it that way. Those with experience know how to 'parse' the problem in the OP according to the 'rules', but it should never be written that way as it is unconventional.

 

[Vonhelmet]

Anyone with experience above year 10 should be familiar with the standard order of operations, which can only give the answer of 9 when followed. If they're not familiar with it and get an answer of 1, they should get familiar with it and try again.

And just when am I ever going to have to solve this sort of sum when I don't know sufficiently what I'm doing to write it in a sensible fashion?