48÷2(9+3) = ????

Your Answer?


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48:2 x (9+3)= ???????

(9+3)=12

48:12=2???

There's something missing :confused:
Is wrong c'mon son
 
Last edited:
8 pages!! The answer is 2.

You have to work the () first which will give you 12. Then multiply by 2 which gives you 24. 48/24 = 2

Think of it this way. 48/(9+3) = 4.

If you are getting 288 that means you divided 48/2 then multiply by 12 which is not right.

Here is another way to look at it: 48/1 * 1/2 * 1/12

Treat them as fractions.

Here it is theoretical: w=48, x=2, y=9, z=3

w/x(y+z) = w/(xy+xz) = w *(xy+xz)^-1 = w * x^-1 * (y+z)^-1 = 48 * 2^-1 * (9+3)^-1 = 48 * (1/2) * (1/12) = 2

if you are coming up with 288 then you are treating the -1 exponent as a positive; meaning when you inverted the denominator to the numerator you made -1 a positive. This is not right. Example. 1/x = 1*x^-1 which is not equal to 1*x

The answer lies within arithmetic not programming:yes:

Master of Applied Math ('09):yes:

:yes::yes::yes::yes:
 
Exactly. You can argue it either way

I remember back in college exchange students would always comment on how fucked up our math systems were. I decided tinker with this problem in PHP. Now many of us were taught you can rewrite a division this way:

From: 100 ÷ 50

to

100
-
50

or 100/50

now this:
48÷2(9+3)

id rewritable to
48
-
2(9+3)

or

48/2(9+3)


But like I said before, the cluster fuck ensues because some of us were taught differently, (which should be the case because it's math).

I decided to tinker with this in PHP.

Now I can't write
PHP:
echo 48/2(9+3); //Because it throws a syntax error, as most programming languages would

PHP, like most programming languages requires me to LITERALLY write out his problem so that there's no MISINTERPRETATION. So I have to write it like this:

PHP:
echo 48/2*(9+3); //288

Now back to my previous post, had this problem been written as above, EVERYONE is getting 288. I left NOTHING to interpretation. YOU understand it, and so does the computer.

Now if I write the problem out the way many of us were taught:
PHP:
echo 48/(2*(9+3)); //2. Same as writing 48/2(9+3).

Now even written like this^ NOTHING is left to interpretation. EVERYONE is getting "2".

Computers can demand literal expression but we humans can't? :lol:

This: 48÷2(9+3) is obviously ambiguous and leads to 8+ page threads and I believe gene said is led to an 84 page thread in the body building forum.

Now of course you have shorthand in math, such as the Sigma notation, but that's not ambiguous. So my point is not the actual problem itself, it's my problem with the notation. If the shorthand leaves that much open for interpretation and ambiguity then it needs to be revised.
 
Its not even ambiguous

48÷2(9+3)=288
48÷(2(9+3))= 2

48÷2(9+3) does not equal 48÷(2(9+3))
 
Please excuse my dear aunt sally (parentheses, exponent, multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction

So the answer is 2. I was a mathlete in high school

So you multiplied before you divided even though the division comes first :smh: :confused:

My (multiplication) Dear (division). Multiplication comes first in the order of precedence. You attack the problem by first getting rid of the parenthesis, and since there are no exponents you go to muliplication (MY), then division (DEAR). Even though the division symbol is before the multiplication symbol, according to PEMDAS you have to multiply first THEN divide.

I'd give that medal back homie.


:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

Just fucking with ya...............you are wrong though.

:lol: I think we placed second or third, which was pretty damned good for a public school like CSA and we were competing against the catholic and private schools, too. Mr. Petro was a damned good teacher; I learned a lot from him (Algebra, Algebra II Trig, Geometry, and Calculus).

I am really proud of BGOL, today. A math problem, not any ignorant bullshit, caused a 7 page (so far) discussion. There are much more intelligent people on this board than I thought.
 
I remember back in college exchange students would always comment on how fucked up our math systems were. I decided tinker with this problem in PHP. Now many of us were taught you can rewrite a division this way:

From: 100 ÷ 50

to

100
-
50

or 100/50

now this:
48÷2(9+3)

id rewritable to
48
-
2(9+3)

or

48/2(9+3)


But like I said before, the cluster fuck ensues because some of us were taught differently, (which should be the case because it's math).

I decided to tinker with this in PHP.

Now I can't write
PHP:
echo 48/2(9+3); //Because it throws a syntax error, as most programming languages would

PHP, like most programming languages requires me to LITERALLY write out his problem so that there's no MISINTERPRETATION. So I have to write it like this:

PHP:
echo 48/2*(9+3); //288

Now back to my previous post, had this problem been written as above, EVERYONE is getting 288. I left NOTHING to interpretation. YOU understand it, and so does the computer.

Now if I write the problem out the way many of us were taught:
PHP:
echo 48/(2*(9+3)); //2. Same as writing 48/2(9+3).

Now even written like this^ NOTHING is left to interpretation. EVERYONE is getting "2".

Computers can demand literal expression but we humans can't? :lol:

This: 48÷2(9+3) is obviously ambiguous and leads to 8+ page threads and I believe gene said is led to an 84 page thread in the body building forum.

Now of course you have shorthand in math, such as the Sigma notation, but that's not ambiguous. So my point is not the actual problem itself, it's my problem with the notation. If the shorthand leaves that much open for interpretation and ambiguity then it needs to be revised.

Exactly, but folks will still want to argue that they are right; either way. :smh:

Good stuff JD.
 
My (multiplication) Dear (division). Multiplication comes first in the order of precedence. You attack the problem by first getting rid of the parenthesis, and since there are no exponents you go to muliplication (MY), then division (DEAR). Even though the division symbol is before the multiplication symbol, according to PEMDAS you have to multiply first THEN divide.



:lol: I think we placed second or third, which was pretty damned good for a public school like CSA and we were competing against the catholic and private schools, too. Mr. Petro was a damned good teacher; I learned a lot from him (Algebra, Algebra II Trig, Geometry, and Calculus).

I am really proud of BGOL, today. A math problem, not any ignorant bullshit, caused a 7 page (so far) discussion. There are much more intelligent people on this board than I thought.

You botched the rankings of the operations like most of us did mathlete.
 
My (multiplication) Dear (division). Multiplication comes first in the order of precedence. You attack the problem by first getting rid of the parenthesis, and since there are no exponents you go to muliplication (MY), then division (DEAR). Even though the division symbol is before the multiplication symbol, according to PEMDAS you have to multiply first THEN divide.



:lol: I think we placed second or third, which was pretty damned good for a public school like CSA and we were competing against the catholic and private schools, too. Mr. Petro was a damned good teacher; I learned a lot from him (Algebra, Algebra II Trig, Geometry, and Calculus).

I am really proud of BGOL, today. A math problem, not any ignorant bullshit, caused a 7 page (so far) discussion. There are much more intelligent people on this board than I thought.


So you honestly think Multiplication and Division hold rank even when I proved that they dont. I understand you ignorance but dont be stupid

A common technique for remembering the order of operations is the abbreviation "PEMDAS", which is turned into the phrase "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction". This tells you the ranks of the operations: Parentheses outrank exponents, which outrank multiplication and division (but multiplication and division are at the same rank), and these two outrank addition and subtraction (which are together on the bottom rank). When you have a bunch of operations of the same rank, you just operate from left to right. For instance, 15 ÷ 3 × 4 is not 15 ÷ 12, but is rather 5 × 4, because, going from left to right, you get to the division first. If you're not sure of this, test it in your calculator, which has been programmed with the Order of Operations hierarchy. For instance, typesetting this into a graphing calculator, you will get:


calculator screen-shot: 15 / 3 * 4 = 20

Using the above hierarchy, we see that, in the "4 + 2×3" question at the beginning of this article, Choice 2 was the correct answer, because we have to do the multiplication before the addition.

(Note: Speakers of British English often instead use "BODMAS", which stands for "Brackets, Orders, Division and Multiplication, and Addition and Subtraction". Since "brackets" are the same as parentheses and "orders" are the same as exponents, the two acronyms mean the same thing.)
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm

Mnemonics are often used to help students remember the rules, but the rules taught by the use of acronyms can be misleading. In Canada the acronym BEDMAS is common. It stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. In other English speaking countries, Brackets may be called Parentheses, or symbols of inclusion and Exponentiation may be called either Indices, Powers or Orders, and since multiplication and division are of equal precedence, M and D are often interchanged, leading to such acronyms as BIMDAS, BODMAS, BOMDAS, BERDMAS, PERDMAS, PEMDAS, and BPODMAS.

These mnemonics may be misleading, especially if the user is not aware that multiplication and division are of equal precedence, as are addition and subtraction. Using any of the above rules in the order "addition first, subtraction afterward" would also give the wrong answer.

10 - 3 + 2 ,
The correct answer is 9, which is best understood by thinking of the problem as the sum of positive ten, negative three, and positive two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations



Position within the expression is used to determine the order of evaluation when two or more operators share the same operator precedence. Consider the following:

A = 6 / 2 * 3

In this case, A equals 9, since the division operator is to the left of the multiplication operator. The subexpression 6 / 2 is evaluated before the multiplication is done, even though the multiplication and division operators have the same precedence. Again, parentheses can be used to override the default evaluation order:

A = 6 / (2 * 3)

In this case, A equals 1, because the expression inside parentheses is evaluated first.

A useful rule of thumb is, "when in doubt, parenthesize". Some examples of expressions are provided in the following table.

http://idlastro.gsfc.nasa.gov/idl_html_help/Operator_Precedence.html
 
It's all good, although I should clown you.......I won't. But I'd be lying to say I wasn't :roflmao::roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: right now:dance:

I just consulted my co-worker:smh:

It comes from how the problem was written. If you solve the equation exactly how it is written in the thread title then it is 288.:yes:

Most people including myself assumed the problem was written like 48/2(9+3) [like a fraction] because there is no operator between the 2 and (9+3) then the equation can be interpreted like a fraction.

If the problem was written 48 divided by 2*(9+3) then there would not be an argument.
 
Funny how people keep reposting the same crap I posted waaaaaaaay earlier on PAGE 2.

I honestly think it's guys here not wanting to be wrong, and therefore not wanting to be shown to be wrong, which in turn leads to them preferring to not know how to properly do such a question.


Fuck it, I'm back.

Division and Multiplication are rated the same by PEMDAS.

Therefore you'd do the parenthesis, then work left to right.

You don't do the parenthesis, then work right to left. Had it been written expressively as 48÷(2(9+3)) then it would be 48÷(2(12)) or 48÷24.

But you operate by doing the parenthesis first 9+3 and you get 12.

Then you move from left to right and solve the equation.

Go into google and copy the OPs equation then copy 48÷(2(9+3)) and compare the answers you get.

You do what's in the parenthesis, then exponents and THEN you work right to left doing mutiplication and division based left to right, and subtraction and addition left to right.

Now if it were 48 - 2(12) then you do the multiplication FIRST.

But since there's only division and mutiplication left you work left to right after doing the parenthesis which is the priority.



As it is, 48÷2(9+3) is really 48÷2*(9+3) or (48÷2)*(9+3).

You do the parentheses because if you took the raw numbers and did 48÷2*9+3 you'd get 219 - way off base.

So the way to do it is COMPLETE the math in the parenthesis. A confusion people are making is to ELIMINATE the parenthesis somehow. The parentheses is just there for CLARIFICATION - so you boil that down to one number before you go forward. It's not there to be eliminated.

So you do that math (9+3). You get (12)

And since division and multiplication are equal in the order of operations, you do math as you generally would, from left to right.

So you get 48÷2(12) OR 48÷2*12.

If I gave you guys this equation

48÷2*12. Who in here would do the latter part first? No one, I would hope.

So once you break it down to that, you simply do the math as you would do ANY equation that has symbols that are of equal precedence.

Basically everyone here answering 2 is working backwards.
 
Funny you say that. I was thinking that the other day, that when I have children I'm going to have to pretty much go back to school from scratch.

Anyway, PEMDAS is

Parentheses, Exponents, Division, Multiplication Addition, Subtraction.

At the least it would break down to

doing the (9+3) first (parenthesis) -- 12

Division - 48÷2 -- 24

Multiplication - 24*12.

PEMDAS = Parenthesis -> exponents > multiply -> divide -> add -> subtract
 
PEMDAS = Parenthesis -> exponents > multiply -> divide -> add -> subtract

read this

A common technique for remembering the order of operations is the abbreviation "PEMDAS", which is turned into the phrase "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction". This tells you the ranks of the operations: Parentheses outrank exponents, which outrank multiplication and division (but multiplication and division are at the same rank), and these two outrank addition and subtraction (which are together on the bottom rank). When you have a bunch of operations of the same rank, you just operate from left to right. For instance, 15 ÷ 3 × 4 is not 15 ÷ 12, but is rather 5 × 4, because, going from left to right, you get to the division first. If you're not sure of this, test it in your calculator, which has been programmed with the Order of Operations hierarchy. For instance, typesetting this into a graphing calculator, you will get:


calculator screen-shot: 15 / 3 * 4 = 20

Using the above hierarchy, we see that, in the "4 + 2×3" question at the beginning of this article, Choice 2 was the correct answer, because we have to do the multiplication before the addition.

(Note: Speakers of British English often instead use "BODMAS", which stands for "Brackets, Orders, Division and Multiplication, and Addition and Subtraction". Since "brackets" are the same as parentheses and "orders" are the same as exponents, the two acronyms mean the same thing.)
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm

Mnemonics are often used to help students remember the rules, but the rules taught by the use of acronyms can be misleading. In Canada the acronym BEDMAS is common. It stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. In other English speaking countries, Brackets may be called Parentheses, or symbols of inclusion and Exponentiation may be called either Indices, Powers or Orders, and since multiplication and division are of equal precedence, M and D are often interchanged, leading to such acronyms as BIMDAS, BODMAS, BOMDAS, BERDMAS, PERDMAS, PEMDAS, and BPODMAS.

These mnemonics may be misleading, especially if the user is not aware that multiplication and division are of equal precedence, as are addition and subtraction. Using any of the above rules in the order "addition first, subtraction afterward" would also give the wrong answer.

10 - 3 + 2 ,
The correct answer is 9, which is best understood by thinking of the problem as the sum of positive ten, negative three, and positive two.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations



Position within the expression is used to determine the order of evaluation when two or more operators share the same operator precedence. Consider the following:

A = 6 / 2 * 3

In this case, A equals 9, since the division operator is to the left of the multiplication operator. The subexpression 6 / 2 is evaluated before the multiplication is done, even though the multiplication and division operators have the same precedence. Again, parentheses can be used to override the default evaluation order:

A = 6 / (2 * 3)

In this case, A equals 1, because the expression inside parentheses is evaluated first.

A useful rule of thumb is, "when in doubt, parenthesize". Some examples of expressions are provided in the following table.

http://idlastro.gsfc.nasa.gov/idl_html_help/Operator_Precedence.html
 
Funny how people keep reposting the same crap I posted waaaaaaaay earlier on PAGE 2.

Man, this has been explained in so many different ways over and over and over again, yet some STILL don't get it. :smh:

PEMDAS = Parenthesis -> exponents > multiply -> divide -> add -> subtract

Again, this is incorrect.


A common technique for remembering the order of operations is the abbreviation "PEMDAS", which is turned into the phrase "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction". This tells you the ranks of the operations: Parentheses outrank exponents, which outrank multiplication and division (but multiplication and division are at the same rank), and these two outrank addition and subtraction (which are together on the bottom rank).

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm
 
I decided to tinker with this in PHP.

Now I can't write
PHP:
echo 48/2(9+3); //Because it throws a syntax error, as most programming languages would

PHP, like most programming languages requires me to LITERALLY write out his problem so that there's no MISINTERPRETATION. So I have to write it like this:

PHP:
echo 48/2*(9+3); //288

Now back to my previous post, had this problem been written as above, EVERYONE is getting 288. I left NOTHING to interpretation. YOU understand it, and so does the computer.

Now if I write the problem out the way many of us were taught:
PHP:
echo 48/(2*(9+3)); //2. Same as writing 48/2(9+3).

Now even written like this^ NOTHING is left to interpretation. EVERYONE is getting "2".

Computers can demand literal expression but we humans can't? :lol:

lol.....i did the same thing with ruby.

6mxr263fapgo.jpg
 
Man, this has been explained in so many different ways over and over and over again, yet some STILL don't get it. :smh:



Again, this is incorrect.


A common technique for remembering the order of operations is the abbreviation "PEMDAS", which is turned into the phrase "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally". It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction". This tells you the ranks of the operations: Parentheses outrank exponents, which outrank multiplication and division (but multiplication and division are at the same rank), and these two outrank addition and subtraction (which are together on the bottom rank).

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm

No I was saying that dude had his orders wrong in his sentence. You go left to right with multiplication and division.
 
PEMDAS = Parenthesis -> exponents > multiply -> divide -> add -> subtract

That's why I never tried to remember silly acronyms like that. Misleading indeed.

Set it up like this:

P: Parenthesis first
E: Exponents next
MD: Multiplication or Division next
AS: Addition or Subtraction last
 
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After all the proof I posted you still think its 2

I think this is the problem, A lot of teachers dont know that multiplication and divisions have equal precedence from left to right along with addition and subtraction.

They teach hundreds of kids and leave out this fact and you see the kind of results as displayed on BGOL.

Again explain in detail how 48/2*12 = 2

That is not how the order of operations work you have an equation to complete on the right which is your 2(12) before you complete the problem with the correct answer. You simply can not remove the parenthesis your answer to the first equation is still inside you your next step is to multiply the 2(12). Then divide so you have it like this.

48/2(9+3)=
48/2(12)=
48/24 = 2

or like this

48/2(9+3)
48/(18+6) (multiply (2*9 + 2*3)= 24)
48/24
 
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So basically everyone that gave sum totals are wrong becase the answer is unknown due to lack of mathematical symbols?

When did () become a division or multiplication sign?

Most of you that gave answers are just assuming and adding shit that aint there.
 
People think because the () is there when you do 9+3, you still have to get rid of the () by multiplying it times 2 because of PEMDAS. Which just means you perform the operation inside FIRST, then process with EMDAS.

Others think Multiplication has RANK over division because of PEMDAS. Not True. If Division comes before Multiplication , you do division first, unless the multiplication is inside a parentheses.

Then some people just assume its 48 dividies by the product of 2*12 which is wrong because 2(9+3) would had to be grouped together,written as (2(9+3)), in order for it to be 48/24
 
The answer is 288. Unknown is not an option. :smh:

Also, what grade did you stop doing math? You've never seen parenthesis in an expression or equation?

So basically everyone that gave sum totals are wrong becase the answer is unknown due to lack of mathematical symbols?

When did () become a division or multiplication sign?

Most of you that gave answers are just assuming and adding shit that aint there.
 
This is how fucked up the internet is right now. I initially thought the answer was 288 voted & everything. Then I scroll down to see the comments and based on how strongly both sides feel I don't know what to think anymore & I doubt my answer after all of it. :confused:

This is why the Government is shutting down. :lol: :(
 
PEMDAS = Parenthesis -> exponents > multiply -> divide -> add -> subtract

No NONO!NO!


It's Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication AND Division, Addition AND Subtraction.

You jump around solving that with the GOAL of creating a problem you then solve from left to right.

For instance

3 - 6 / 2 +7 * 10

You isolate the Division AND Multiplication

3 - (6/2) + (7*10)

Then when you do that, you work left to right.

3 - 3 + 70


Another example

2*6+4-2+3-4/2

(2*6) + 4 - 2 + 3 - (4/2)

12 + 4 - 2 + 3 - 2 = 15

If I gave you this equation:

24÷3*4÷2 =

How do you approach it?


Answer that equation
 
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