Posted on 04/12/2011 1:32:09 PM PDT by grundle
Texas Instruments TI-85 says:
48÷2(9+3) = 2
But Texas Instruments TI-86 says:
48÷2(9+3) = 288
I am 40 years old... 4 years USAF and 3 years US Army.. During my Army career, I was 13E.. I had to make the calculations for each of the 8 artillery guns I was responsible for to hit their target.. (in less than 53 seconds).. and it was NOT an easy task.. Earth rotation.. humidity (moisture), wind speed, elevation.. etc...
I started programming (98% math) around about 1985...
Oh, I forgot to mention I HATE math :/
In the US Army (actually because of my ASFAB score), I didn’t have much choice in what career.. I would have chosen snipe school.. but my math score was too high :/ for what they were asking for at the time.. go figure)
I learned it in basic algebra. MortMan is right on the beam. You’re right, it’s not that difficult. And it’s 288 :)
exactly. If I was using a pencil/paper I would write it like this:
48
——————— =. 2
2(9+3)
Except that 135 extended the parenthesis precedence outside the parenthesis, which is a new and novel approach to operator precedence. It is also incorrect.
Try this:
48
______________ = ?
2(9+3)
2 is correct........
Operationallly you cannot separate the 2 from the parands.
Thus 2(9+3) must be the first operation occurring in the equation.
2(9+3) = 2(12) = 24
48
____ = 2
24
Bureacrat answer:
1 = current level of spending
1+1+1 = proposed level of spending
1+1 = 33% reduction in spending.
Liberlista answer:
Whatever you think it is - there are no absolutes.
I’m not sure what made you believe that the multiplication is handled before the definition, but I can’t find any new or old rules that are written down to support it.
Care to share?
The answer is 2. It’s pretty simple algebra. Amazing that the two machines give a differing answer, perhaps human error?
Like others have stated, the sequence to solve is parenths, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction in that order - and by that the answer is 2. I sent a followup to WolframAlpha for their explanation.
I thought so, too. However, you and I are automatically inserting the omitted "*", and then performing arithmetic as for computer languages. The rub is that in traditional pencil & paper mathematics, 2X is 2*X with a higher precedence than parenthesis
I don't know what to tell you MM, the way I was taught was that if there was a number immediately next to the parenthesis, then that number was to be included in the results from doing the the parenthesis first.
ie:
a(b+c) = (a * (b + c))
I've got to say from watching the discussion, this appears to be a generational educational difference.
Thank you... and for those other programmers out there.. please help us explain.. I am not good a technical writing :p
Bikk
You are missing my point, FRiend.
The fact that you have put the sum of 9 and 3 below the line means you have added the parenthesis around 2(9+3).
The correct archaic form of this is
__48__ * (9+3)
2
Check the rules. The Wikipedia listing (which I have checked elsewhere) explicitly identifies the placement above or below the horizontal division operator as the same as modern parenthesis.
LOL, I think I have to agree with you on that. I wish I had kept my old work books, it would be interesting to scan in a couple of pages to show.
"Yes it is."
Show your work.
"How old are you? "
Irrelevant.
Why did you put the (9+3) below the line? That implies parenthesis around the whole expression 2(9+3), which are missing from the equation.
Please explain why you put the (9+3) below the line - that is the error in your calculation.
What rule tells you the 2 and the (9+3) are inseparable?
I put the problem in correctly. Google forced the issue and applied it’s logic. The result was shown.
However, I called in the big guns. My son has tutored Calculus, Chemistry and hard sciences at FSU for three years. He attended Emery Riddle in the 9th grade. I asked him to solve the problem. He gave a definitive 288 result.
The equation written as 48/2(9+3)= is being interpreted by the calculator as one half of 48 (24) times nine plus three (12) = 288
The equations is more accurately written as 48÷2(9+3)=
or, 48 divided by the quantity 2 times 9+3 (24) = 2
I’m sure this has been pointed out many times as I’ve not the time to read thru the whole thread. Sorry.
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