Anyone smarter than me help with this maths question?

Psiko said:
There's only 4 possibilities (unless you think it's a trick question and you're supposed to do silly things with the brackets but that's unlikely). No amount of brackets can change the 6-5 (=1) but you can flip the signs of the 4 and the 3.

This leaves:
1-4-3=-6
1+4-3=2
1-4+3=0
1+4+3=8

So it's probably a mistake by the teacher and they meant =8, not =4.
Click to expand...
Having played round with an equation solver, there are loads of possibilities depending on where you put any number of nested brackets.

6-5 can become 6(-5) for example.

However, none of them end up with 4 as the answer.
 
Last edited:
Bug One said:
Having played round with an equation solver, there are loads of possibilities depending on where you put any number of nested brackets.

6-5 can become 6(-5) for example.

However, none of them end up with 4 as the answer.
Click to expand...
Sure, that's what I meant about the "trick question" part. But I really don't think this was the intention of the teacher given not a single other question in that set required anything other than inserting brackets to change the order of operation (versus your suggestion which inserts a multiplication operation). I think it was a genuine mistake by the teacher who probably set this exercise to teach about order of operation. But it's definitely possible I'm mistaken and the teacher threw something unusual into the middle of the questions for fun.

I look forward to finding out. OP - please don't leave us hanging!
 
wolfie138 said:
well school was a long ways off now but i'll be buggered if i know what "4()" is supposed to mean??
Click to expand...
A number before a bracket means it multiplies whatever is inside the bracket. So 4(1) would give 4 and 4(3-1) would give 8. The idea was that 4() would be 4 multiplied by nothing so would give 0.
It's not correct notation but it was the only way I could find to stick to the rules (only adding brackets) and make the sum work.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom