Math anyone?

Discussion in 'The Guru's Pub' started by sykozis, Apr 9, 2013.

  1. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    Ok, this is apparently a big debate on Facebook. I've tried this equation in several calculators and all return the same answer. Just as a refresher, I even took the time to actually look up "PEMDAS" also known as Order of Operation, which says that the answer I reach has to be correct....so, here's the equation...

    6 ÷ 2(1+2) = ?

    Now, according to order of operation, you'd start with the parenthesis, resulting in the equation becoming:

    6 ÷ 2(3)

    Now, on to the next operation in accordance with order of operation. You'd read the equation from left to right performing multiplication or division based on order within the equation...which then results in

    3 x 3 = 9 ...which coincidentally is the answer that all calculators have given me.....including my computer. So, given what we all know about processors....how exactly could this answer be wrong? Did Intel screw up somewhere?
     
  2. Rebel975

    Rebel975 Guest

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    The answer is 9 if you follow the correct order of operations.

    People on Facebook are dumb. People who didn't even finish high school are passing themselves off as the authority on simple equations. Give me a break.

    Another common debate on Facebook is 1+1+1+1+1*0. The ignorant masses love to say that the answer is 0.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  3. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    I always figured, with Intel's experience in processor design, there's no way they could possibly screw up to that extent.

    1+1+1+1+1*0 = 4 That one is stupidly easy
     
  4. PhazeDelta1

    PhazeDelta1 Guest

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    i believe the equation is written wrong. It should be written something like 6/2(1+2)

    6/2(1+2)
    6/2(3)
    2x3=6
    6/6=1

    Therefore the answer = 1
     

  5. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    Presenting the equation as 6/2(2+1) changes the equation, but hand written, presents it as a fraction, which still results in an answer of 9. The only way to follow order or operation and arrive at an answer of 1, is to present it as 6 ÷ [2(1+2)] which is yet another equation altogether.

    Basically, the equation can appear 1 of 3 ways....

    6 ÷ 2(1+2) = 9
    6 ÷ [2(1+2)] = 1
    6/2*(1+2) = 9

    The brackets aren't implied by the equation, so the answer can't possibly be 1
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  6. Rebel975

    Rebel975 Guest

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    Thank you.

    You can't just add parenthesis and change the order of operations where you see fit.


    But anyway- presenting it as 6/2(2+1) still doesn't change anything. Type that in to Google right now and you'll still get 9.

    6/2(2+1)
    6/2(3)
    3(3)
    9
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  7. PhazeDelta1

    PhazeDelta1 Guest

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    you guys make my head hurt
     
  8. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    The typical teaching of PEMDAS tells you to perform operations in a specific order.

    Parenthesis
    Exponents
    Multiplication or Division (read left to right, in order of occurrence in the equation)
    Addition or Subtraction (read left to right, in order of occurrence in the equation)

    Based on the standard method for teaching order of operation, the only possible (correct) result is 9
     
  9. Rebel975

    Rebel975 Guest

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    When it gets to this step:

    6/2(3)

    You have to go from left to right. That's why you get:

    3(3) which = 9.
     
  10. kiya

    kiya Guest

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    I agree, especially on the bolded part. :nerd:

    BTW.. i was taught in school that division is always performed before multiplication.. Using that i get 9.

    We didn't have PEDMAS though. We had BDMAS

    Bracket
    Division
    Multiplication
    Addition
    Subtraction

    Although that part about left to right wasn't ever taught..
     

  11. IcE

    IcE Don Snow

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    I know it's wrong, but it's really tempting to do 2(3) before you divide 6 by 2 because of the first order of operations. It's really easy to be like "Oh, there's still some parentheses left, gotta get rid of them".
     
  12. NoviceRei

    NoviceRei Ancient Guru

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    not all calculators do. i had a Casio and Sharp calculators when I was still studying, and they do give different answers.

    [​IMG]


    anyway, the tricky part is after you do (1+2), because the equation then becomes

    6/2(3) or 6 / 2 x 3

    depending on how you are taught on dealing with parenthesis (whether to remove them, or not, after doing the operations inside it), you would arrive at either forms. personally, i'd use the first one. and since parenthesis also means multiplication, then my answer would be 1 for the whole equation.



    edit: and yeah.. i've seen this on blogs and Facebook numerous times, and people would of course not agree if the answer is 1 or 9 (always! .. and they also give ****ty answers that's not 9 or 1 LOL). :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  13. DSparil

    DSparil Guest

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    I hate math. This may be the worst thread ever.
     
  14. slick3

    slick3 Guest

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    EDIT: Nevermind!

    Am not thinking right at this time. :D
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  15. Morpheous416

    Morpheous416 Ancient Guru

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    Both answers are right. That's the actual problem.

    It depends on how you do it.. because in math, / and ÷ mean two different ways of working the problem.

    Plenty of vids on youtube have people showing you both answers, with both ways of doing the equation.
     

  16. Speed Weed

    Speed Weed Guest

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    Nothing ever seemed to go wrong with BODMAS. ;)
     
  17. Rebel975

    Rebel975 Guest

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    Not all calculators know how to do the order of operations.






    Not tricky at all because they are the exact same thing. And because they are the same you do 6/2 and then multiply that result by 3 (since order of operations goes from left to right when dealing with like terms - multiplications and division are like terms)

    You don't multiply 2 by 3 first because the 2 is not inside of the 3's parenthesis.


    As for / being different than ÷... I've never heard of that. It's only different if you assume that 6/2(3) = 6/(2*3)... which it does not.

    Google results for the supposedly different meanings of / and ÷.

    6/2(1+2)


    6 ÷ 2(1+2)



    Interestingly enough both searches give the same answer. :eek:

    And if a / CAN imply that 6 is OVER 2(3) - as in


    __6___
    (2*3)

    ... just why? Why would you want to do something like that? It would make so much more sense to not be ambiguous and include proper parenthesis. Math doesn't like ambiguity.
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  18. sykozis

    sykozis Ancient Guru

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    With the problem, as stated, only 9 can be correct because you're being told to divide 6 by 2 then multiply by the product of 1 plus 2. 3 x 3 = 9
     
  19. CronoGraal

    CronoGraal Ancient Guru

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    the trick is that they're using the division symbol and not /.

    when you use it, you can't assume that everything following the division sign is a denominator.
     
  20. AndreasGuido

    AndreasGuido Guest

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    I used to love math in school, its been way too long tho! Answer is 9 for inline. you always do brackets first, then divide is always done before multiplying.

    And wouldnt 6/ be something like this?

    6/2(1+2)
    6/2(3) = 6/2 * 1/3 or 6/6 = 1
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013

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