Poll: Solve a simple math problem

[loc978]

Spoiler: the ANSWER

1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1-1+1+1+1+1+1+1x0=?

I count seventeen ones, one of which is multiplied by zero, therefore the answer is sixteen... even if X is meant as a variable not an operator (which, in algebra, should properly be an asterisk)

 

[Lukeje]

0=1-1
0=1-1+1-1
0=1-1+1-1+1-1
0=1-1+1-1+1-1+.....
0=1+(-1+1)+(-1+1)+....
0=1+0+0+0+...
0=1

No. You can't arbitrarily reorder a non-convergent infinite series (as you have done with the addition of brackets).

Spoiler: the ANSWER

I count seventeen ones, one of which is multiplied by zero, therefore the answer is sixteen... even if X is meant as a variable not an operator (which, in algebra, should properly be an asterisk)

There's a -1 in there.

 

[madwarper]

Spoiler: the ANSWER

I count seventeen ones, one of which is multiplied by zero, therefore the answer is sixteen... even if X is meant as a variable not an operator (which, in algebra, should properly be an asterisk)

Read the problem again. There's a single minus sign in there.

 

[chuckman1]

I counted 17 1's so the answer is 18 I think.

 

[loc978]

No. You can't arbitrarily reorder a non-convergent infinite series (as you have done with the addition of brackets).

Spoiler: the ANSWER

I count seventeen ones, one of which is multiplied by zero, therefore the answer is sixteen... even if X is meant as a variable not an operator (which, in algebra, should properly be an asterisk)

There's a -1 in there.

...I appear to have failed horribly. Eyesight isn't what it used to be...

 

[King Toasty]

It's multiplied by 0, so I'm pretty sure it's 0.

EDIT: People are arguing about infinity. Infinity isn't a number, it's term. You can't add, subtract, divide, or walk on a beach with infinity. It isn't numerical.

 

[GeorgW]

14, if I counted the 1s right. I feel sad when people say 0 to this, but the Escapist has a much better percentage than any other I've seen.

 

[nuba km]

14 as first you multiply and then adding and subtracting happen in the order they are in the equation.

 

[TheTim]

Wow now i feel like an idiot, i totally forgot the order of operations so i said 0

:0 i've never been good at math though.

 

[EvilMaggot]

if you mulitply anything with 0 it is 0 no matter how big the numbers are.. simple as that

 

[Lukeje]

Well i'm not sure but my maths text book says 1/0 is infinity so no ofense but i'll trust that over you.

Are you sure it doesn't just say that the limit of 1/x as x->0 is infinity? Infinity is a tricky concept...

 

[madwarper]

It's multiplied by 0, so I'm pretty sure it's 0.

Read the problem.

Yes, 1*0 = 0. However, 14+0 =/= 0; 14+0 = 14.

 

[Fbuh]

Well, anything multiplied by 0 is still 0, so I don't carehow many + there are. The answer is still 0.

EDIT: Sorry, I don't have my glasses on and I missed the -. I'm going to go with 4. DOn't forget PEMDAS:

Parentheses
Exponents
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction

I multiplied that end 1 by 0, thus pretty uch cancelling it out. THen I added all the 1s, resulting in 10-6. THen I got 4.

If I did this wrong, I am not surprised, because math is not my strong subject. The arts are more my forte.

 

[madwarper]

Well, anything multiplied by 0 is still 0, so I don't carehow many + there are. The answer is still 0.

You understand order of operations? No?

The Multiplication is the FIRST thing you do?

It's 10 -1 +5 +0. Where are you getting "= 0" from?

 

[Daverson]

Using science, I have determined the answer is "E". Or 14, in the decimal number system, which, conveniently enough, is option E on the poll.

Also, something about mathematics without context just being a futile exercise in intellectual dick-measuring. I can't be arsed phrasing this in a way that'd be suitably condescending to the vermin who come up with these intentionally vague questions just so they can get some satisfaction out of saying how everyone else is wrong...

 

[TheTechnomancer]

Well i'm not sure but my maths text book says 1/0 is infinity so no ofense but i'll trust that over you.

Are you sure it doesn't just say that the limit of 1/x as x->0 is infinity? Infinity is a tricky concept...

Pretty sure as some questions in the book required you to use 'infinity = 1/0' in order to get to the correct answer.

 

[DRIIV]

The answer is minus infinity.
(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1)-(1+1+1+1+1+1+(1/0))
=10-(6+infinity)
=10-infinity
=-infinity
If the end was 1*0= then the answer would be 4 as adding brackets the sum equates to
(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1)-(1+1+1+1+1+1+(1*0))
=10-(6+0)
=4

*slaps* X/0 IS UNDEFINED!

The (new) answer is 14.

One of the deffinitions of infinity is 1/0 so in this case i'm right.

It's not. You're wrong.

Infinity multiplied by 0 is still 0.

Well i'm not sure but my maths text book says 1/0 is infinity so no ofense but i'll trust that over you.

Then your textbook is wrong. Do I really need to prove this to you?

Really?

*sigh*

So your question is what does 1/0 equal, right? Let's rewrite that as an equation, so

1/0 = X

. Using basic Key Stage 1 maths, this means that

X*0 = 1

. Any number multiplied by 0 equals 0 - this doesn't need maths, that's just logic. And that includes infinity - it doesn't matter what X is, there are no X'es. Therefore

X*0

ALWAYS equals 0, so the question is fundamentally flawed.

Writing

X/0 = 1

is akin to writing

2 + 2 = 5

. YOU. ARE. WRONG.

I have a textbook that said 1/0 = infinity. The textbook isn't wrong because the 0 is not actually supposed to be a 0, but a very small number. 1/(very small positive number) approaches infinity.

 

[Xisin]

Who cares? The answer is 14, but even if I said it was 5000, it still proves nothing. Adult intelligence should not be measured by 4th grade math. A person can pretty much do this for any subject and we'd all fail one eventually. Problems like these are the whole reason the show, "Are you smarter than a 5th grader," exists.

 

[Kadoodle]

For fucks sake, it's THIS again.


The reason that so many get it wrong is not because they don't know their order of ops, but because of the way the problem is written. There is a reason for there being that many 1's, you know. It's designed to cause a careless error.

 

[Vakz]

31% answered 0. I feel so bad for humanity.

(1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1)-(1+1+1+1+1+1)+(1*0)

You're off on the second part. The - does not mean that everything after that is a "segment". If you make -1+1+1+1+1+1 into -(1+1+1+1+1+1), it will really be -(1-1-1-1-1-1).

-X+X = -(X-X)

Sorry, I'm very bad at explaining math. I never paid much attention to terminology.