Even though I've seen this question pop up a few times on The Escapist, the responses never seem to get any less fun to read. Also, I can say with 100% certainty that the answer is 14. It's an oddly constructed problem though so I wouldn't blame people who don't do math very often for getting it wrong.
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.
I'm not using this as a standard to point out how smart anybody is, I am mearly pointing out that this is a simple "5th grade" question can be easily missed if you don't pay attention(in school). And I understand it's tricky, that's part of it's diabolical nature. But I didn't write it I just put it up on a wall and pointed "Everybody, look at this problem! Isn't it stupid how it trys to squirm it's way off the wall? Look and laugh, children!".
So a couple weeks ago I bumped into this math "problem":
1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1+1-1+1+1+1+1+1+1x0=?
[small]And yes in this case x means multiplication.(what? I'm a lazy typer that's too unfamiliar with doing math online. Paper rocks)[/small]
The answer is pretty simple, I got it on my first try. But a lot of my friends and classmates couldn't solve it right away; and most of them are college students which is really sad. This is stuff you should study in middle school. Take a stab at it!
nunqual said:
Divided by 0? I thought it was multiplied by 0. Dividing by 0 would get you infinity, even if you use the correct order of operations.
You sir, deserve a medal and everyone else that knows better than to divide be zero deserves a star. I wasn't paying attention (fuck!) but you're right it is multiplied.
Ugh... it's not "sad" if you didn't see the subtraction sign. It's something easily looked over and a lot of people do. I can bet that you didn't immediately notice it.
This doesn't measure your "intelligence" at all, it measures your ability to count and I'm tired of people acting superior because they got the answer right and weren't tricked by a problem that was specifically written to trick people.
EDIT: Sorry if I sound bitter, but this is all over the internet and I'm tired of seeing it.
It depends on the order of operations you are operating under. This is the standard: http://math.about.com/library/weekly/aa040502a.htm
Which means the answer is 14.
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.
I'm not using this as a standard to point out how smart anybody is, I am mearly pointing out that this is a simple "5th grade" question can be easily missed if you don't pay attention(in school). And I understand it's tricky, that's part of it's diabolical nature. But I didn't write it I just put it up on a wall and pointed "Everybody, look at this problem! Isn't it stupid how it trys to squirm it's way off the wall? Look and laugh, children!".
I disagree with the, "if you don't pay attention(in school)," part. At perhaps 10, the order operations would be fresh in my mind. At 20, if I'm in a college math course like calculus, most math formulas would be ingrained. By 30, if my career has nothing to do with math, the order of operations is as important as the name of my 1st grade teacher.
The human brain tends to discard very old things that it no longer needs. I had over a decade of Spanish and my ability to speak it is now rudimentary at best. I just never have need of it.
Saying your college friend is sad seems a harsh criticism. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that questions like these aren't looking for an answer. You already know it, of course. You seem to be looking for how many people will stumble. (shrugs) Thus why I think it's pointless.
Nope, can't do it. I've seen it before but I still don't care. I'm a historian not a mathematician. I can tell you about Cheyenne Warfare, Soviet propaganda, Prussian industrialism and Chinese golden age bureaucracy though.
I'm an adult now, I really don't need to do trivial math problems.
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