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Please help solve this problem

Please help solve this problem

  • 2

    Votes: 42 52.5%

  • 288

    Votes: 38 47.5%
  • Total voters
    80
mward2002 said:
The parenthesis is the screwy part. If the formula were originally written 48 / 2 x (9+3) then I'd say yeah it'd be 48/2 x 12. With it as 48 / 2(12) you still have the parenthesis holding precedence no?
Click to expand...

But the "2/12" is implied that it is multiplication. The work with the parenthesis is complete after the computation is complete within the parenthesis, no?
 
JR said:
There is seriously no point guys. Depending on how you look at the problem, there are two answers.

C and E is getting the response he wants.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's a set up. Click on the meme link folks and see that for yourselves.
 
and I just can't figure out why the U.S. is dropping in math scores vs ROW...

mward2002 said:
I'm kind of amused that there's 22 people looking at this thread and we're all trying to answer it sincerely to help and it's just turning into a giant WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING?!?
Click to expand...
 
Doug the lefty said:
But the "2/12" is implied that it is multiplication. The work with the parenthesis is complete after the computation is complete within the parenthesis, no?
Click to expand...

hehe I figured he made a typo Thain, I knew where Doug was going with it. The work inside the parenthesis is complete yeah, but I don't recall that being able to let you remove it. I think you still have to multiply that outlying number by now the sum in the parenthesis to make it go away. That part I'm not sure about, and definitely the part that's the difference between making it 24 x 12 vs 48/24. Either way, some math professor is laughing his tail off at making the biggest troll of a math problem in history.
 
48
___ (9+3)

2
 
blugold said:
48
___ (9+3)

2
Click to expand...

Agreed. I know this may be a brainteaser/troll, but this is a math problem with all absolute #'s...I don't see how it could have two different answers as someone suggested...
 
My sister is a math professor, so I asked her on her facebook page. Hopefully she will respond, and not think I'm a moron...or at least no more of a moron than I am....:D
 
CrunchEasy said:
So I'm trying to help my nephew with some math earlier and we kinda ran into a road block and were having a hard time. So I figure some of you folks might be pretty smart and maybe could give us the correct answer.

Here is the problem

48÷2(9+3)=?


Thanks in advance for the help
Click to expand...

This used to be my job, teaching math to high school kids.

It is 288.

Operations are from left to right complete one level of operations left to right then do the next level left to right and so on until finished.

Priorities:
parenthesis inner to outer (do inner parenthesis then outer parenthesis) left to right
exponents left to right
multiply and divide left to right
add and subtract left to right

for this SIMPLE example.
Do parenthesis first, 9+3=12 If there were many sets of parenthesis you would do all those before doing any operations outside the parenthesis.
then start again from left to right
do the multiplys and divides 48 divided by 2 =24 then 24 times 12 = 288
If there were any adds or subtracts, you would do those last, again starting on the left.

In order to obtain an answer of 2 using these same numbers an expression would be: 48 / (2(9+3)) The order for this expression would be 9+3 first then multiply 2*12 because of the second parenthesis, then divide 48 by 24.
 
Lefty78 said:
This used to be my job, teaching math to high school kids.

It is 288.

Operations are from left to right complete one level of operations left to right then do the next level left to right and so on until finished.

Priorities:
parenthesis inner to outer (do inner parenthesis then outer parenthesis) left to right
exponents left to right
multiply and divide left to right
add and subtract left to right

for this SIMPLE example.
Do parenthesis first, 9+3=12 If there were many sets of parenthesis you would do all those before doing any operations outside the parenthesis.
then start again from left to right
do the multiplys and divides 48 divided by 2 =24 then 24 times 12 = 288
If there were any adds or subtracts, you would do those last, again starting on the left.

In order to obtain an answer of 2 using these same numbers an expression would be: 48 / (2(9+3)) The order for this expression would be 9+3 first then multiply 2*12 because of the second parenthesis, then divide 48 by 24.
Click to expand...

+1 from a bs in mathematics
 
PEMDA takes precedence over left to right; left to right (I think) only comes into play if/when you get competing equal operations.

48 / 2(9+3)
= 48 / 2(12) [read: we still have a Parentheses operation to execute; this comes first]
= 48 / 24
= 2
 
Oh...my...god...every elementary school math teacher just died a little inside.
 
true - and division and multiplication are treated as equal in priority (parentheses, then multiplication AND division (L to R), then addition AND subtraction (L to R)), so in this case, divide first then multiply second. Scary 60% are wrong here including the Professor but glad to see this going strong, though it noticable slowed after 1,100 views the first 4 hours.

tequila4kapp said:
PEMDA takes precedence over left to right; left to right (I think) only comes into play if/when you get competing equal operations.

48 / 2(9+3)
= 48 / 2(12) [read: we still have a Parentheses operation to execute; this comes first]
= 48 / 24
= 2
Click to expand...
 
My head hurts beer me...
 
JK said:
true - and division and multiplication are treated as equal in priority (parentheses, then multiplication AND division (L to R), then addition AND subtraction (L to R)), so in this case, divide first then multiply second. Scary 60% are wrong here including the Professor but glad to see this going strong, though it noticable slowed after 1,100 views the first 4 hours.
Click to expand...
Because we all realized it is a troll post, please, let the dang thread die.
 
JR said:
Because we all realized it is a troll post, please, let the dang thread die.
Click to expand...

Says the guy with fortyleven post in this thread.

Sorry Aristotle, f--k math!

--
Tapatalk2
 
It is not a matter of opinion. It is a set of rules sometimes called the order of operations. I went through those rules above but if you need something simpler the following link will give an easy tutorial for anyone interested in learning what you have long forgotten.

http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol7/order_operations.html
 
tdinbr said:
And that is exactly what Texas red chili is! Back me up Texas THP'ers!!
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No beans in my chili and no nuts in my brownies!

I saw Emril making a "vegetarian chilli" one time.....that aint chilli...its vegetable soup!
 
It's 288. Trust me on this. I'm left handed.

Kevin
 
The answer is 2. Trust the kid in calc.
 
I concur... 288

And you must trust me; I have 1 blue eye and 1 brown eye :)

spazzdog
 
Damaikis said:
JB is right. Always remember PEMDAS to see what order to go in.

Parenthesis
Exponent
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction

M and D are interchangable and A and S are also interchangable.
Click to expand...

LOL, must be a culture thing. I've never heard it called PEMDAS...here in Canada we call it BEDMAS (bed-mass).
 
i would just like to add being a computer guy ...

Microsoft
Corp. yesterday confirmed that Excel
2007, the newest version of its market-leading spreadsheet, returns
incorrect calculation results in some cases.
Click to expand...


i wouldnt be using excel for my math lol
 
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