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A Simple Math Problem? - Page 11

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legatus legionis
Profile Joined October 2010
Netherlands559 Posts
April 07 2011 21:16 GMT
#201
Many have explained very nice things regarding the calculus approach I would call it, but it's still interesting so I'm going to waste a few words on the matter as well.

Also to some of you please stop calling people out. There's a reason it goes both ways otherwise it wouldn't be a tricky question. Most are able to argument their reasoning perfectly fine so there is not a lot to critique on their persona. Try to understand why they think the way they do instead of dismissing their reasoning as wrong.

48 48
--------- vs ------ (9+3)
2(9+3) 2

This is pretty much the difference in what people see and how they solve the problem. If you see it like the first one, you end at 2. If you see at like the second one, you end at 288.

2(9+2) you can solve as, 2*(12) = 24 or 2*9 + 2*3 = (18+6) = 24 giving 48/24 which is 2.

lets say 2 = c

we can rewrite the problem to

24c 24c
------------------- or -------- (9+3)
c(9+3) c

(a) (b)

(a) 24c / c(9+3) -> 9c+3c = 12c = 24c/12c = 24/12 = 2/1 = 2
(b) 24c/c (9+3) -> 24(9+3) = 24(12) or 216+72=288

Ok, so I just did that for the lols. But the thing I would conclude is that it's a good thing we have conventions and scientific notation because a problem like this shouldn't be presented in the butchered state that the limited use of computer symbols puts it in.
101TFP
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
420 Posts
April 07 2011 21:16 GMT
#202
What.... ?

How can this even be discussed?

How can anyone who went to school for a few years think that 2 is right?!

Do what stands IN paranthesis first -> 48/2(12)

Go from left to right -> 288

This should be closed D:
People get what they get, this has nothing to do with what they deserve.
GizmoPT
Profile Joined May 2010
Portugal3040 Posts
April 07 2011 21:16 GMT
#203
On April 08 2011 06:10 n00b3rt wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 08 2011 06:09 GizmoPT wrote:
On April 08 2011 06:04 GizmoPT wrote:
48/2(9+3) i dunno about you guys but this is

48
-------
2(9+3)


so first we make 2*9 + 2*3 = 18+6 = 24

then 48 / 24 = 2 thanks...

this is right wtv people say so wtv im engineer ;(



im engineer and its 2 no more discussion kk ;x

You are engineering brakes for Toyota cars. Right ?



im engineer for the Trolling Company
Snipers Promod & Micro Arena Creator in SC2 Arcade - Portuguese Community Admin for SC2, HotS and Overwatch - Ex-Portugal SC2 Team Manager, Ex- Copenhagen Wolves and Grow uP Gaming Manager in SC2. Just Playing games now!
micronesia
Profile Blog Joined July 2006
United States24701 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-07 21:23:22
April 07 2011 21:16 GMT
#204
48÷2(9+3)

This is a mathematical expression that severs no purpose other than to test if you truly understand how order of operations work. Technically the answer is 288, but practically if you see this written 'in the field' "48/2(9+3)" odds are pretty good that they meant "48 / [2(9+3)]."

This thread/poll serves little purpose other than to punish people who either A) don't remember their math or B) allow their experience with math rather than Pemdas lesson in primary/secondary school to dictate how they do math. It also is a place for people to go "haha look at that thread" :-/

I hate ambiguous mathematical expressions (whether it be because of technical ambiguity or laziness on the part of the person who wrote it) and hate this thread.

I'm closing this dumb poll thread. If anyone still does not understand it you can pm me. If anyone uses this as an excuse to troll me I'll just revoke your pm privileges lol

Chill Edit: Reopened. I don't see why you would close it, it's an interesting trick
ModeratorThere are animal crackers for people and there are people crackers for animals.
Golgotha
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
Korea (South)8418 Posts
April 07 2011 21:17 GMT
#205
On April 08 2011 06:13 HaNdFisH wrote:
Having a major in maths, I feel the expression uses ambiguous notation.

It should be written (in LaTex, or similar):
\frac{48}{2(9+3)}
or
\frac{48}{2}(9+3)

The fact that the two is left outside the brackets, but without an explicit multiplication symbol leaves the question as to which one the author meant it to be.

Didn't vote either, the question is deliberately misleading.


you gotta be trolling. if not please have pity on the future generations of our youth and become a janitor.



You do not need an explicit multiplication symbol to clearly know when to multiply. The parentheses clearly points to multiplication. Good luck in becoming a math major.
Rayte
Profile Joined September 2010
Norway30 Posts
April 07 2011 21:17 GMT
#206
Took me 5 seconds to find out the answer, 288.. 5 Minutes to figure out how people got 2 as an answer. lol.
JinDesu
Profile Blog Joined August 2010
United States3990 Posts
April 07 2011 21:17 GMT
#207
On April 08 2011 06:13 Golgotha wrote:
hahaha even the TL poll was leading with 2 instead of 288 when I first voted. But now it seems like people are getting "smarter"


More likely they are reading the thread first. Like I am!

I don't see the equation as ambiguous or confusing. I see the problem is that people focus on the parenthesis and work around that.

I'm getting this is a prevalent logic in getting the wrong answer:
"Oh, parenthesis... 9+3 is 12"
"Next to parenthesis.. 2 times 12 is 24"
"Last thing is 48 divided by 24"

I don't believe it's a notation issue, more of a teaching issue.
Yargh
micronesia
Profile Blog Joined July 2006
United States24701 Posts
April 07 2011 21:24 GMT
#208
Lol too many mods disagree with me oh well. You can still pm me if this confuses you thought.
ModeratorThere are animal crackers for people and there are people crackers for animals.
thesideshow
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
930 Posts
April 07 2011 21:25 GMT
#209
On April 08 2011 06:12 GinDo wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 08 2011 06:09 GizmoPT wrote:
On April 08 2011 06:04 GizmoPT wrote:
48/2(9+3) i dunno about you guys but this is

48
-------
2(9+3)


so first we make 2*9 + 2*3 = 18+6 = 24

then 48 / 24 = 2 thanks...

this is right wtv people say so wtv im engineer ;(



im engineer and its 2 no more discussion kk ;x


Division from left to right thus you divide 48 by 2 before you dealing with the parentheses. P in Pemdas doesn't mean to use the parentheses but rather solve whats inside. Plug it into a Scientific Calculator. The automatically follow pemdas.

Lol at people who swear its 2. Go back to school son


[image loading]
OGS:levelchange
Marradron
Profile Blog Joined January 2009
Netherlands1586 Posts
April 07 2011 21:26 GMT
#210
On April 08 2011 06:25 thesideshow wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 08 2011 06:12 GinDo wrote:
On April 08 2011 06:09 GizmoPT wrote:
On April 08 2011 06:04 GizmoPT wrote:
48/2(9+3) i dunno about you guys but this is

48
-------
2(9+3)


so first we make 2*9 + 2*3 = 18+6 = 24

then 48 / 24 = 2 thanks...

this is right wtv people say so wtv im engineer ;(



im engineer and its 2 no more discussion kk ;x


Division from left to right thus you divide 48 by 2 before you dealing with the parentheses. P in Pemdas doesn't mean to use the parentheses but rather solve whats inside. Plug it into a Scientific Calculator. The automatically follow pemdas.

Lol at people who swear its 2. Go back to school son


[image loading]


http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=48/2(9+3)

stated exactly as the problem.
MasterOfChaos
Profile Blog Joined April 2007
Germany2896 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-07 21:28:06
April 07 2011 21:26 GMT
#211
On April 08 2011 06:16 micronesia wrote:
Chill Edit: Reopened. I don't see why you would close it, it's an interesting trick

There is no trick. It's an argument about definitions/conventions. And those are stupid. So I completely understand micronesia closing it.
It's just like arguing about the existence of god before defining what you mean by that word.
LiquipediaOne eye to kill. Two eyes to live.
micronesia
Profile Blog Joined July 2006
United States24701 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-07 21:28:41
April 07 2011 21:27 GMT
#212
On April 08 2011 06:26 MasterOfChaos wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 08 2011 06:16 micronesia wrote:
Chill Edit: Reopened. I don't see why you would close it, it's an interesting trick

There is no trick. It's an argument about definitions/conventions. And those are stupid. So I completely understand micronesia closing it.

I've gotten a couple of pm's from other people who agree with this statement.

Are we really at the point where discussing that is banned? So it's a discussion about convention, what's the problem?
ModeratorThere are animal crackers for people and there are people crackers for animals.
Raysalis
Profile Joined July 2010
Malaysia1034 Posts
April 07 2011 21:28 GMT
#213
lol nice trick question ^^.

I am quite sure that most people that do engineering or maths at university will pick 2 since at uni when our profs writes 48/2(9+3), they usually means 48/ (2(9+3)) instead of (48/2) (9+3). If they want to imply (48/2) (9+3), they will usually write it as [48*(9+3)]/2.

Somehow its such an ugly looking equation in my eyes, not sure if anyone else agrees :p
:)
yamato77
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
11589 Posts
April 07 2011 21:28 GMT
#214
On April 08 2011 05:53 Navane wrote:
Show nested quote +
On April 08 2011 05:45 MasterOfChaos wrote:
I'd say if the multiplication sign is omitted then multiplication binds stronger than division. Just like 1/2x is 1/(2x) and not (1/2)*x.



Yeah, as a frequent algebra scribbler i see 48/2(3+9) as:

48
--------
2(3+9)

for that exact reason.

If you multiplicate without even using a multiplication sign, its stronger than dividing.

a/bcde = a/(bcde), not acde/b

For it to be like you wrote it, it would have to be 48 / [2(9+3)].

Written the way it is, it's 48/2 * (9+3).

Simple.
Writer@WriterYamato
NIJ
Profile Joined March 2010
1012 Posts
April 07 2011 21:28 GMT
#215
On April 08 2011 06:10 Hugoboss21 wrote:
[image loading]

288 logic.

48/ 2(9+3)

48/ 2*9 + 2*3
48/18+6
2.66667 +6

I got 8.667 gais.
Act of thinking logically cannot possibly be natural to the human mind. If it were, then mathematics would be everybody's easiest course at school and our species would not have taken several millennia to figure out the scientific method -NDT
OutlaW-
Profile Blog Joined July 2010
Czech Republic5053 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-07 21:32:07
April 07 2011 21:29 GMT
#216
Another way to look at it is 48 * 0.5 * 12, which leads to 288 no matter what
basically, the trick is in that it's either
48
__ * (9+3)

2


or

48
____
2(9+3)

Delete your post underage b&. You're incestuous for you're onee-chan so you're clearly not a bad guy, but others might not agree
preCurser
Profile Blog Joined December 2010
United States78 Posts
April 07 2011 21:29 GMT
#217
On April 08 2011 05:40 Zaphid wrote:
Really TL? ... Really ?

I thought this was the nerd forum, how the hell can someone vote 2


Pretty much exactly what I thought when I saw the results....the bodybuilder forum is even more rofl worthy tho.

I just think its fucking hilarious when people were belittling everyone who didn't have the same warped perspective of their reality (thinking incorrectly that the answer was two). Man people are funny.
-_-
Profile Blog Joined November 2003
United States7081 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-04-07 21:31:40
April 07 2011 21:29 GMT
#218
I got 288. In my opinion, it doesn't appear to be a math problem or a question of intelligence. Instead, it's a question of whether you recall the generally accepted syntactical norms.

Edit: Looks like I'm not the first to recognize that. Regardless, I think it's an interesting thread.
Thiria
Profile Joined March 2010
Sweden21 Posts
April 07 2011 21:31 GMT
#219
[image loading]

If you want it to be 2 you need another pair of parentheses, i.e.

48 / (2 * (3+9))
FroZen(-_-)
Profile Joined December 2010
United States183 Posts
April 07 2011 21:31 GMT
#220
On April 08 2011 05:36 Marradron wrote:
lol by standard mathematical rules the answer would be 288. However stupid people might not know this and assume 48/ (2((9+3) = 2. However this is wrong since multiplication and division are to be done in order unless changed by brackets.

THERES FUCKING BRACKETS

User was temp banned for this post.
"The concept of dying terrifies me, and I've taken to watching Netflix at night until I pass out to avoid thinking about it. This is better than my old strategy of crying until I passed out.." -blestedt
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