Posted on 08/01/2019 4:58:47 AM PDT by Renkluaf
“8÷2(2+2).” Can you solve this math problem? The equation went viral online this week on Twitter causing major confusion over the right answer. Mathematicians and physicists went nuts about it. Mike Breen, the Public Awareness Officer for the American Mathematical Society, told popular Mechanics: “The way it’s written, it’s ambiguous. In math, a lot of times there are ambiguities. Mathematicians try to make rules as precise as possible.” Depending on where in the world you learned math, as Mashable reported, determines how you can solve the problem.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Looks like simple 7th grade Algebra to me.
R!
I asked my husband, a recently retired Chemical Engineer who designed multi billion dollar chemical plants for Dow Chemical Corp and he has to know math. He had to study all the time in college, he had to take subjects like Thermal Dynamics, Differential Equations, Calculus, Physics, Biochemistry. All heavy into math. So easy Algebra for him is just that... easy. Once I started dating him, January 1971, my GPA went up to 4.0 from then on. I wasn’t in such a difficult major. Our daughter majored in Hydrogeology. Smart like her dad, good looking like her dad. So I ask them when I need any math help. I am more the creative type, I used to make all my clothes, including my wedding dress, etc. But I never believe anything I read on internet. LOL
The * is optional and does not change the meaning.
“How can there be “argument” about this? “
When you don’t know the rules of math.
“You must be an engineer.”
The answer is 16.
He has the wrong answer of 1. Engineers know the order of precedence of math and know to perform left to right multiplication and division.
So are you claiming to be an engineer and engineers always do things right? LOL
It’s *you* who needs to go back to post #36 and re-read it.
Hartley never said there was one correct answer and it was 1. He was pointing out the need for an additional set of parentheses for the answer to be 1.
:) or when you think you know the rules of math...
“So are you claiming to be an engineer and engineers always do things right? LOL”
We sure aren’t uneducated enough not to solve a 5th grade math problem.
Dumbing down of America on display. Anyone who graduated high school should be able to perform this basic math problem.
It’s isn’t a laughing matter that our nation has become a laughing stock.
“:) or when you think you know the rules of math... “
Listen, Sunshine, such easy rules are known. Don’t play dumb then demand everyone else play along.
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