Can you solve 8÷2(2+2)

[Mgderf]

"New math" sucks.

 

[Hohn]

It's 16. PEMDAS.

 

[churchmouse]

There’s no way you remember that far back.

Well yeah. Sorta.

 

[jagee]

Aye aye aye.

Chezuki said it already, but for those of you in the back...it has NOTHING to do with "new math" it is just "math" and math tells me the answer is 16.

 

[PaulF]

Yeah.

I'm guessing the internet thinks it should be 16?

Lol, the answer is and always has been 16. This has nothing to do with common core, and is not “new math”. You guys either don’t remember order of operations correctly, of you never really understood it.

TIL I never correctly learned to basic math...

I taught this stuff for 30 years. It's 16.

Parentheses first, then multiplication and division in the order they occur from left to right. So

8÷2(2+2)

8÷2(4)

4(4)

16

Never too late to learn the right way...you know, for all the math writin' and readin' that I do. Actually, I don't think I've seen a math problem in writing since high school. (and yes, I was just as bad at them then. lol)

 

[Hoosier Carry]

"New math" sucks.

When did this term start? I am before all the new math talk and I still see it as 1.

 

[ATOMonkey]

More importantly, (to me anyway), why are we doing this arithmetic? Do I have apples in baskets and I'm handing them out to people?

 

[Snapdragon]

The guys still saying it's 1.

 

[ATOMonkey]

Re-write as 8 * 1/2 * (2+2). Then the order doesn't matter.

 

[snowdrifter]

8 ÷ 2X = 1

Solve for X.

 

[mmpsteve]

As originally presented to the Internet (post 46 I believe), there appears to be spaces left and right of the ÷ symbol, and no space between the first 2 and parenthesis. If no space between, you complete the parenthetical first and the correct answer is 1. If you type the whole equation with no spaces, the answer is 16.

Simple, really, it's all about appearances. If I were more purdier, I could give a better answer.

.

 

[ATOMonkey]

1/4

 

[ArcadiaGP]

8 ÷ 2X = 1

Solve for X.

I mean, if you want to change the problem to get a different answer, you could do that.

The problem isn't "2X", it's 2(4) with a division prior to the multiplication. No one is solving for X.

 

[Snapdragon]

As originally presented to the Internet (post 46 I believe), there appears to be spaces left and right of the ÷ symbol, and no space between the first 2 and parenthesis. If no space between, you complete the parenthetical first and the correct answer is 1. If you type the whole equation with no spaces, the answer is 16.

Simple, really, it's all about appearances. If I were more purdier, I could give a better answer.

.

It's SOP to type operator symbols with spaces on either side. Whether or not there is a space does not affect order.

 

[snowdrifter]

I mean, if you want to change the problem to get a different answer, you could do that.

The problem isn't "2X", it's 2(4) with a division prior to the multiplication. No one is solving for X.

I was just using the X as symbolic, trying to simplify the original equation. Is 8 ÷ 2X = 1 the same as 8 ÷ 2(X) = 1 ?

As originally presented to the Internet (post 46 I believe), there appears to be spaces left and right of the ÷ symbol, and no space between the first 2 and parenthesis. If no space between, you complete the parenthetical first and the correct answer is 1. If you type the whole equation with no spaces, the answer is 16.

This is the best explanation I've seen so far.

 

[ATOMonkey]

I was just using the X as symbolic, trying to simplify the original equation. Is 8 ÷ 2X = 1 the same as 8 ÷ 2(X) = 1 ?

In either case, the coefficient of X is 4.

Rewrite 8 * 1/2 * X =1

Divide both sides by 8.
1/2 * X = 1/8

Multiply both sides by 2

X = 1/4

The only way it changes is if you did this 8 / (2x) = 1 That changes the order of operation.

Now...

1/(2x) = 1/8

2X = 8

X = 4.

 

[snowdrifter]

I think mmpsteve has a valid point in that the lack of a space between the 2 and parentheses is significant. So 2X or 2(X) is not the same as 2 X or 2 (X). Without the space present, I would treat 2X or 2(X) as one term.

 

[Mark-DuCo]

I was just using the X as symbolic, trying to simplify the original equation. Is 8 ÷ 2X = 1 the same as 8 ÷ 2(X) = 1 ?

This is the best explanation I've seen so far.

But it is wrong, spaces don't change the rules in the order of operations.

 

[ArcadiaGP]

I think mmpsteve has a valid point in that the lack of a space between the 2 and parentheses is significant. So 2X or 2(X) is not the same as 2 X or 2 (X). Without the space present, I would treat 2X or 2(X) as one term.

2X and 2(X) are also not the same.

2X implies (2X), and that's not how the problem is presented. Nor is it (2(X))

 

[ATOMonkey]

I think mmpsteve has a valid point in that the lack of a space between the 2 and parentheses is significant. So 2X or 2(X) is not the same as 2 X or 2 (X). Without the space present, I would treat 2X or 2(X) as one term.

It's a trick, and the whole point of writing it that way is to just trip people up. No one, when figuring out an actual problem, would write it like that. Instead of 8/2, they would simply write 4. ORRRR

They would write (8 * (2+2))/2 As that is much more logical.

It's a gotcha question that has absolutely nothing to do with real life, or actual mathematics.