The Cellar - 48÷2(9+3) = ???

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- - 48÷2(9+3) = ??? (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=24914)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 723194)

Maybe my BSCS and three decades of computer programming will count for something?

you could outprogram me in a heartbeat (although my BSc was a joint honours with Computer Science) ...it just won't get you anywhere in math if the main hits on a google search are too simplistic. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by skysidhe (Post 723193)

288, just because I plugged it into my calculator as written.

well done.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 723194)

Maybe my BSCS and three decades of computer programming will count for something?

Hopefully,

The answer would be two if the notation was written differently. ..but it's not

tired now.. will give my defense in the morning.

the answer is two

A. http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/coa...--forever.html

B. http://www.angrymath.com/2009/03/pem...prejudice.html

C. I blame whoever wrote the equation, because it begs for misinterpretation. Extra parentheses for clarification are never wrong.

D. Why the hell did I open a math thread started by Flint? It's always trouble.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveDallas (Post 723209)

but you believe the answer is......

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigV (Post 723208)

tired now.. will give my defense in the morning.

the answer is two

It needs more brackets to be two.

I stand by Occam's razor in this.

Quote:

is a principle that generally recommends selecting the competing hypothesis that makes the fewest new assumptions, when the hypotheses are equal in other respects.[2] For instance, they must both sufficiently explain available data in the first place.

Excel says...

288

I tried it four times.

Maybe they do it different in the old country.

Quote:

Originally Posted by monster (Post 723210)

but you believe the answer is......

288.

In spite of MDAS, Multiplication and Division are equal in precedence. Evaluation proceeds from left to right. The use of the 2(..) notation for multiplication is tempting you to treat 2(9+3) as a single unit. 48 / 2 x (9+3), with the multiplication sign written out, seems less ambiguous (though I don't think it is).

Again, it's a screwy example.

I want to add something to my answer. I've been thinking about it (while cleaning my office - not like I'm obsessing or anything).

My "gut feeling" with this answer was to say it was 2, because of the way it's written. Sometimes I've found on tests you have to figure out what they want for an answer, which may not be what is technically correct. Which of course implies that math may not be as black-and-white as you'd think, that problems are open to interpretation, which is kind of weird, but anyway.

I think that if the intention were to get 288 as an answer, the question would have been written: (48÷2)(9+3) = ??? But because it lacked that one set of brackets, the author of the question wanted us to multiply 9+3 by 2 before dividing 48 by something. I've always felt that a number right next to a bracket implied a sense of urgency. But I still think the correct answer is 288.

And if you read this and rolled your eyes, you have a deeper understanding of why I am an English major. :thepain:

This is so why I'm not taking the GRE.

Let's Lynch Flint!

see? That'll fix everything.

Besides, Flint is crazy.