Regardless, when you understood that / meant :, you knew exactly how to answer the question. The thing is, people that learned our terminology don't know what it means. This is not the symbol's fault, it is the individual that failed to learn that when you divide, you're creating a fraction.mps4li3n said:
Poll: What is the answer to 48/2(9+3)?
- Thread starter Brawndo
- Start date
There is no variation, the question is very clear. The question states 48/2(9+3). The answer is 2. The question does not state (48/2)(9+3), which would equal 288. The problem here is that people don't understand fractions. 48 is the numerator, 2(9+3) is the denominator. Please do not provide answers when you don't actually know what it is.mps4li3n said:
Yes, saw it before on stuff from the US that was in the shops here...Joseph Webb said:
But the problem is that people see it with 48/2 being the fraction, and i for one have no knowledge that it can't be interpreted that way... that's the problem, as of right now we have no way of knowing if it's universally accepted, especially since as i pointed out before until computers the use of the "/" symbol (which is actually another symbol then the one on the keyboard, but we're using it because it's the only one we have) always involved superscript and subscript.... thus i have never encountered any official ruling on how the part after "/" works... if it matters that there's no * between the number and the "(" or not etc.
And to determine that we'd need a study of all teh aajor math publications on the issue from around the world.
But everyone understands (48/2)(x) and 48/(2x)... and i've always considered it better to just write it like that on the internet (not that it came up that much).
Alright, I'm done with this. The answer is 2, and to all of you who doubt it, read through the last 20 or so comments. Chances are, if you got the question wrong, you either don't know that division symbols signify fractions, or you don't understand the distributive property and how it works to simplify equations. Pro tip, the equation also looks like this 48/(9(2)+3(2)) = 48/2(9+3) - that's the distributive property in action (you can also now apply your beloved PEMDAS without any issues)!
No one's been saying you're wrong for almost a page now...Joseph Webb said:
I was simply pointing out that the lack of widespread use of "/" in a single line is the problem... as is our inability to see if everyone in the world uses it like that, if at all.
Over here the * symbol for multiplication is new too btw, but ive seen it used more consistently then /.
We're writing in a format that is for computers. If it were hand written the distinction between which answer is correct would be obvious.Joseph Webb said:
We are, I will state again, writing in a format used by computers and so the correct answer is the one that the computers, and the rules we have programmed them with, come to.
48/2(9+3)=(48/2)(9+3)=288
48/[2(9+3)]=2
You see, there's the flaw in your logic. We are not computers. It doesn't not matter how it is written for us, you should understand that (48/2)(9+3) =/= 48/2(9+3) The fact that you think that they are equal proves to me that you do not understand the distributive property. Stop arguing with your flawed logic, you will never be correct, because we will never be computers. Computers are provided with a flawed logic system in their programming, every math teacher (and decent math student) knows this. Math was designed before computers were. It doesn't matter how you phrase it, the question will always be the same if you phrase it correctly (which you aren't doing if you think the answer is 288).kurupt87 said:
Sarcasm, the only thing less understood then this equation.DemiGodEpsilon said:
Joseph Webb said:
But the thing is that in the end the symbols used and what they mean are wholly artificial and arbitrary... it really doesn't matter if 48 was writen as $* or kanji as long as it meant the same 48 pieces of whatever.
And because both variations exist in the real world the 1st question to ask is "üsing what system, the computer's or the one you know from studying math" (and as i pointed out, over here / in a straight line isn't used much -computers are changing that- so in some systems of learning math it doesn't make sense either way, kinda like using ,1 or .1 for fractions, it's simply a difference in the symbol).
Problem is that no one bothered to ask that and that's why we're on page 16+
But we are reading on computers. Get used to it.
Your assumption is that the "/" symbol represents the line between a numerator and a denominator. If that's what was meant in the original equation, then you are correct, the answer it 2. However, since it is written on a computer, there is nothing to tell us that is the case.
In the world of computers, the "/" symbol does not mean that. It means "Divide By" (the two dots with the line between them). And there is a good reason for that (it is unambiguous that way, as opposed to the numerator/denominator separator, which can be ambiguous in all sorts of ways). In computer science, that equation comes out to 288. As an C++ program will tell you (and for that matter, so will Excel). To interpret that symbol as the line between numerator and denominator is, in a word, wrong.
If you want to represent that equation with the first assumption on a computer, you MUST write it as
48/(2(9+3))
Simple as that.
You're either a troll, or you just don't understand the situation. Do you understand how calculators work? Do you understand the flaw in their logic when calculating a problem like that? This is seriously a basic 8th grade problem that teachers use to screw up their students (and hopefully use it to teach them a lesson the won't forget about the distributive property and how their calculators are retarded). The answer is 2. If you're using the flawed logic of a calculator to solve the problem, the answer is 288. However, that answer is wrong. To type the same question into the calculator, you need to work around its flawed logic by including an additional set of parentheses. The problem you would plug into a calculator would be 48/(2(9+3)), which equals 48/2(9+3), which equals 2. The thread starter is probably a troll, because you have to have failed pre-algebra to not understand that calculators are flawed. Seriously.mps4li3n said:
Listen to me, you are wrong. Get over it. You didn't pass Algebra I, stop trying dude. Really.RonHiler said: