[Renkluaf]

Cool.

[metmom]

the way it’s written, according to the rules of math, it’s 8 divided by 2 which equals 4.

Then it’s four times (2+2), which makes it 16.

If the 2(2+2) were to be taken as one unit, then it would have been written as [2(2+2)] which would make it 8 divided by 8 equaling one.

[Manly Warrior]

The is.... It depends ( if you owe me money, it’s 16, if I owe you, then it’s 1). The theory of relativity....

[Notthemomma]

My answer above, citing the standard
“Even if you choose to do operations from left to right, the multiplication or division is against EVERYTHING AFTER THE OPERATION SIGN until you get to addition or subtraction signs outside of brackets or parentheses (or powers)”

is in contrast to the opinion stated in the journal article another poster gave (thank you for that, btw):
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2972726?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
(all caps added by me, for emphasis):
“In case the signs of multiplication and division occur with no signs of addition and subtraction intervening, and in case no symbols of aggregation are used, then it is likewise agreed (in the theoretical development in the books) that each symbol applies ONLY to the factor (or divisor) IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING it, and that the operations are to be performed in order from left to right.

That is the crux of the issue, and I disagree with the journal author’s opinion (not how I learned, and have operated for decades; BS Chem and BA Math). That author’s opinion leads to the answer of 16, rather than 1. I don’t know what “books” that journal author is referring to, and why we should adopt his opinion, or any other, for that matter—who is really to say? Who really has the authority to set the modern standards?

That’s why it’s better to be wordy and add “symbols of aggregation” (brackets, parentheses, squiggly brackets, etc.) to make it crystal clear. And that’s the REAL correct answer.

[grey_whiskers]

42.
The ultimate answer.

[BDParrish]

It is a language problem not a math problem.
You get the answer as one by assuming that the division symbol separates terms. In advanced math please avoid this symbol and avoid the elementary “division” concept, rather understanding it as multiplication by the reciprocal.

You get the answer “sixteen” by assuming that the symbol for division, “÷”, is equivalent to the slash, “/” , which is a grouping symbol. In other words, the entire denominator must be simplified before the entire term is simplified. So what is the denominator? If the entire denominator is 2 , then the result is 16.

Remember that language must depend on context! For example, there are people who delight in asking if a tomato is a fruit, but the question assumes that there is no difference between the kitchen and the laboratory. If you are trying to do a problem in a computer, you must use the parentheses according to the program instructions. In geometry class however, the lesson here is to throw out the whole problem on ambiguity. In physics class, you must make the demonstration experiment turn out right, and all the ambiguity disappears because forces are calculated as they are applied.

My position is neither one nor sixteen is correct without a given context. The computer people who are saying sixteen are assuming a context not given. The ÷ sign people are assuming that the sign separates terms which it does not do outside of an elementary academic context. The people who substituted the slash for the division symbol forgot it’s use as a grouping symbol. The slash does NOT group all things after it; it only groups those things under it as drawn. When a rational coefficient is written not with a slash but as a fraction, then all ambiguity vanishes.

Yes a tomato is a fruit which is why we pour it over ice cream!

[FXRP]

Excel says 16 QED

[Tell It Right]

It's 16. The catch is that the (2+2) in parenthesis is solved first (as many agree), but subconsciously it's easy to be fooled into thinking the stuff immediately next to the parenthesis is solved next ---- the 2(4) part. Which it's not.

8÷2(2+2) becomes

8÷2(4). The next step is the part that throws you if you're not paying attention. It looks like the 2 should be multiplied to 4 first (because the parenthesis pull our eyes in), instead it should be seen as

8÷2X4, and now you see it's easy to see the operations are left-to-right as

4X4 = 16.

[teeman8r]

the answer is one

follow the rules.

t

[Tamatoa]

1 is the loneliest number is the answer

[teeman8r]

8÷2(2+2)

written out 8 ÷ 2 x 2 + 2 is not what defines the terms.. or the answer would be 10

8 is not divided by 2
8 is divided by 2(2+2)

i will stick to 1 being the answer. the rules are wrong

[dfwgator]

public static void main(String args[]) {
       System.out.println(8/2*(2+2));
}


Answer: 16

[dfwgator]

"The Question is Moot!"

[DungeonMaster]

1

[SkiKnee]

R!

[AdmSmith]

"8÷2(2+2)." Can you solve this math problem?

That is easy - it is a syntax error, i.e. no solution.