Poll: What is the answer to 48/2(9+3)?

[Taerdin]

This looks like a problem that was WRITTEN to have the answer as 2 but when put directly into a calculator the answer was 288. There is no way to tell if that was the case.

But the problem as written in this thread has the answer 288, whether or not the person intended it to be written in such a way as to evaluate to 2.

Putting the problem directly into a calculator does just what it's supposed to do, it evaluates the problem as written. If you type 1+1 you will get 2, this is the answer. The same is true for this expression. It seems silly to think that ones own interpretation of what the solution is could be more correct than a calculator's given response, without proper cause to believe something is fundamentally wrong with how the calculator was programmed.

 

[SeaCalMaster]

I don't know why you want us to do your homework for you, but I got 288... after you do the parentheses, you're supposed to do them from left to right. I think it's a poorly written problem, though.

Mathematics don't care about "left to right". You solve the parentheses first, and then in the order of multiply and divide. The answer is 2. Take it from the European guy.

Mathematics does care if the operations in question aren't associative, which they aren't here.

For example:

(1/2)/3 = 1/6.
1/(2/3) = 3/2.

EDIT:

3) What base? (12) therefore 48/2 in base twelve =(4*12+8)/2=28 (dec) or 24(12)

In general, we assume that we're working in C (the complex numbers) unless otherwise specified. As it happens, 2 doesn't have a multiplicative inverse in Z_{12}. Thanks for playing, though.

 

[mjc0961]

Wrong good sir. It would go like this:
48/2(9+3)= 48/2(12) =24(12)=288 You always start from the left after taking care of any parentheses and exponents. Don't believe me, put that exact formula on a calculator. I think you need to relearn your "please excuse my dear aunt sally."

I think you need to pay more attention to edits. I already realized I was the one who remembered it wrong and changed my post accordingly.

 

[doggie135]

Order of operations (basic Grade 2 fare) tells us it's 2.
It would only be 288 if the equation was (48/2)(9+3). Why are we answering this again? XD

 

[Juggern4ut20]

It seems silly to think that ones own interpretation of what the solution is could be more correct than a calculator's given response, without proper cause to believe something is fundamentally wrong with how the calculator was programmed.

I do agree with that, which is why the answer is technically 288. I'm just saying that a good amount of people (about 41% right now) look at the problem different because it is written poorly. If you wrote that same equation out on a piece of paper, it would get a different answer. Like, if you wrote it so that the 2(9+3) looked under the / it would be read as such. That's at least my take.

 

[Seriin]

I don't know why you want us to do your homework for you, but I got 288... after you do the parentheses, you're supposed to do them from left to right. I think it's a poorly written problem, though.

Mathematics don't care about "left to right". You solve the parentheses first, and then in the order of multiply and divide. The answer is 2. Take it from the European guy.

Clearly a culture break has occurred because there seems to be no agreement on which should come first the multiplication or the division. The way I was taught was called "BEDMAS", which seems to be a Canadian thing according to a quick google search of the word. Other regions use other systems that are similar or different arrangements, which has resulted in this shift of multiply or divide first. For example I had never heard of PEMDAS before tonight, nor had a reason to seek out alternatives to what I was taught.

Parentheses (or brackets, even though they aren't actually brackets) do come first, that is a given. Afterwards, as I said, it is used both ways whether to utilize the M or the D. From what I can find there doesn't seem to be a concrete rule as to which is first. So if we are to ignore left-to-right as another regional quirk, there is no correct answer. It is 2 and 288, depending on which you solve first.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Order of operations (basic Grade 2 fare) tells us it's 2.
It would only be 288 if the equation was (48/2)(9+3). Why are we answering this again? XD

I hope this is not an indication of American math.

48/2(9+3) = 48/(2*9)+(2*3) = 48/18+6 = 48/24 = 2

Anything else is incorrect.

Best write to microsoft and the two companies that make my calculators,cus they all say you are wrong. You cant argue with the BIDMAS on there. 288, unless you wanna take it up with my graphing calculator. It made me lol how you said "indicator of american math" when you are wrong.

 

[Taerdin]

I do agree with that, which is why the answer is technically 288. I'm just saying that a good amount of people (about 41% right now) look at the problem different because it is written poorly. If you wrote that same equation out on a piece of paper, it would get a different answer. Like, if you wrote it so that the 2(9+3) looked under the / it would be read as such. That's at least my take.

I agree that for people who are not familiar with computer notation that seeing the problem on paper would have made it much more clear for them.

Parentheses (or brackets, even though they aren't actually brackets) do come first, that is a given. Afterwards, as I said, it is used both ways whether to utilize the M or the D. From what I can find there doesn't seem to be a concrete rule as to which is first. So if we are to ignore left-to-right as another regional quirk, there is no correct answer. It is 2 and 288, depending on which you solve first.

M and D are of the same precedence, and as has already been said at least a dozen times in this thread, you evaluate them from left to right. In this case the answer will always be 288, whether you use BEDMAS or PEMDAS

Here's some review for Order of Operations [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations]

 

[mjc0961]

Parentheses (or brackets, even though they aren't actually brackets) do come first, that is a given. Afterwards, as I said, it is used both ways whether to utilize the M or the D. From what I can find there doesn't seem to be a concrete rule as to which is first. So if we are to ignore left-to-right as another regional quirk, there is no correct answer. It is 2 and 288, depending on which you solve first.

No, some of us are/were just recalling the rules wrong. Multiplication and division are equals, so if you have both as your next options, you are supposed to go left to right.

I do agree with that, which is why the answer is technically 288. I'm just saying that a good amount of people (about 41% right now) look at the problem different because it is written poorly. If you wrote that same equation out on a piece of paper, it would get a different answer. Like, if you wrote it so that the 2(9+3) looked under the / it would be read as such. That's at least my take.

Yeah, that's exactly right. It's like that problem with the cards where you had certain rules that had to be followed for the cards, and you had 4 cards and needed to find out how many you would have to flip to make sure all the cards followed the rules. But people would start reading more into one of the rules than what is actually stated and flip more cards then needed. I can't remember what those were called now, though.

 

[Atticus89]

To those people who say the answer is 2,
If 48/2(9+3)=2,
then 48/2/(9+3)=?

If I'm reading that right, you're asking was (48/2)/(9+3) is... which is still 2 because that whole thing simplifies down to 24/12 when using PEMDAS.

Now if you mean 48/(2/(9+3)), then what that turns into is 48/(1/6). And when you divide a fraction by a fraction, the fraction in the bottom space is flipped and multiplied into the top number (I'm sorry I don't remember the correct terminology, math people), so what you get is 48*6. That equals 288.

This is why I'm a history major. XD

 

[Chase Yojimbo]

Using BEDMAS it is 2.

48 / 2 (12) = 48 / 24 = 2

288 = (48/2)(12)

It is only if 48 divided by 2 is surrounded in brackets that it would be considered a seperate formula to the 12, thus they would multiply after they have been solved individually, hence they would then come up to 288 instead of the correct 2 from the aformentioned formula, which is correct. Then again if you gave me a higher level math question I would look at it and say "WTF!" My strengths are the Arts, not Math sadly

EDIT - then again, the question wasn't asking how it would be solved, with BEDMAS or PEMDAS (which is a form I am soon to be familiar with, thank you google...)

 

[captain_dalan]

wait what...hahaha did you copy and paste the guy aboves me post and put it in my quote? i did not say that..although i do agree lol


still, type it in as seen into a calculator and the truth shall set you free!

Oh shit did I do that? This is what happens when I try to post when I should be sleeping.

it's ok, i don't mind him taking credit ;D

 

[bl4ckh4wk64]

PEMDAS dude,
Please
Explode
My
Dear
Aunt
Sally

Then it goes from Left to Right

48/2(9+3)

9+3=12
48/2=24
24x12=288

 

[doggie135]

In NZ over here, we use BEDMAS (sometimes BEMA, to discern the fact that Multipication/Division occur simultaneously as do Addition/Subtraction) where B = Expand brackets :/
So, I expanded 2(9+3) first.
This thread is making my head hurt over something so simple! XD

 

[Taerdin]

To those people who say the answer is 2,
If 48/2(9+3)=2,
then 48/2/(9+3)=?

If I'm reading that right, you're asking was (48/2)/(9+3) is... which is still 2 because that whole thing simplifies down to 24/12 when using PEMDAS.

So you're saying that 48/2/(9+3) is equivalent to 48/2*(9+3)? They obviously can't have the same answer, you might as well be arguing that 1+3 is equal to 1-3.

I'm sorry guys but everyone who is getting 288 is wrong lol. Using BEDMAS it is 2.

48 / 2 (12) = 48 / 24 = 2

288 = (48/2)(12)

It is only if 48 divided by 2 is surrounded in brackets that it would be considered a seperate formula to the 12, thus they would multiply after they have been solved individually, hence they would then come up to 288 instead of the correct 2 from the aformentioned formula, which is correct. Then again if you gave me a higher level math question I would look at it and say "WTF!" My strengths are the Arts, not Math sadly

Please read at least some of the thread before responding... you are repeating past mistakes and got the wrong answer.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

So I guess the boiled-down question I pose to you is what would a possible real-world situation be where a question framed in this manner would become a hindrance to those not abiding by the strict left-to-right operations?

There are situations in which the rules of precedence are utterly unnecessary. For example, one could simply write an equation where any two operands (values) and a single operator are enclosed on parenthesis. This removes any ambiguity but has a nasty habit of making an equation more difficult to understand. There is even an a method of representing an equation in a similar way that is relatively common in computer science. Take the well known equation f = m * v (force is equivalent to the product of mass and velocity). In a different notation it is written as follows:

(= f (* m v)).

A slightly more complex example is d = vo * t + .5 * a * t^2 (the final position is equivalent to the sum of the product of velocity and time and the product of acceleration and time to the second power divided by 2) becomes:

(= v (+ (* vo t) (* .5 (* a (expt t 2)))))

There is absolutely no need to understand rules of precedence in such a case but the trouble is the equation is suddenly incredibly difficult to read unless you are used to workin in that format.

 

[Android2137]

...Wait, is the denominator here 2(9+3) or just 2? In other words, is the problem (48/2)(9+3) or 48/[2(9+3)]?

 

[Count Igor]

I'm sorry guys but everyone who is getting 288 is wrong lol. Using BEDMAS it is 2.

48 / 2 (12) = 48 / 24 = 2

288 = (48/2)(12)

It is only if 48 divided by 2 is surrounded in brackets that it would be considered a seperate formula to the 12, thus they would multiply after they have been solved individually, hence they would then come up to 288 instead of the correct 2 from the aformentioned formula, which is correct. Then again if you gave me a higher level math question I would look at it and say "WTF!" My strengths are the Arts, not Math sadly

But... BE/I/ODMAS?
Divide THEN Multiply?

 

[mjc0961]

To those people who say the answer is 2,
If 48/2(9+3)=2,
then 48/2/(9+3)=?

Okay...

48/2/(9+3)
48/2/12
24/12
2

So yours is 2. And as we already know, the one in the thread title is 288.

 

[Seriin]

No, some of us are/were just recalling the rules wrong. Multiplication and division are equals, so if you have both as your next options, you are supposed to go left to right.

My apologies then. But for what it is worth I agree, I just assumed left to right was another as I said regional quirk because of the debate. Going left to right with either bedmas or pemdas is 288. That is sure with the M and D holding equal weight.

48/2(9+3) is 48/2 x 12 which is 24 x 12 as many others have said.