Solve this equation
- Thread starter ISUCyclones2015
- Start date
I think of it in terms. 8 is one term, 2(2+2) is also one term, which can be simplified to 8. If you wrote 8÷2a, which I see is the same as 8 over 2a, with a=4, you get 1, because you can't separate the 2 from the a. If you wrote 8 ÷ 2 x a, with a=4, by this left to right order you get 16.
I saw that. It’s basically set up to make people argue. Not like there isn’t already enough of that in the world.
I think the bolded should be addition.
Naw if you this then you have to let y=8 so you rewrite the equation to following
y÷x(2+2)
so then you get y÷x*2+y÷x*2 [the distributed factor is the y/x not just x]
plug in those variables back in and it's 8/2*2+8/2*2
Seriously. When you change the 2(2+2) to 2*4 you are rewriting, thus changing the order of operation. PEMDAS.
Ya we are all a rehashing the same thing, I still think I'm in the 1 crowd, but I understand the confusion.
Just out of curiosity, why did you multiply 2x4 before dividing 8/2?
Someone already answered this, which answers the thread.
The PEMDAS Paradox
It looks trivial but it keeps going viral. What answer do you get when you calculate 6÷ 2(1+2)? David Linkletter explains the source of the confusion.
Some want to tie the first 2 and parenthesis together, others don't.
Even Casio doesn't know LOL
Well, first - I had a typo in the first line.
But I already explained it. You reduce what's in the parentheses, but you don't remove the parenthesis. Per PEMDAS, parentheses and Exponents come before multiplication and division, so you reduce the parentheses by completing the parenthetical operation, giving you 8.
BTW - modern calculators don't use the "Reverse Polish Notation" of the older TI scientific calculators, which may contribute to confusion with PEMDAS rules. Dunno. Math was a while back. Loved it...until I got to trig. I'm too much of a straightline thinker to handle theoretical math. If you can't solve an equation, you don't invent an imaginary number to fix it.Someone already answered this, which answers the thread.
The PEMDAS Paradox
It looks trivial but it keeps going viral. What answer do you get when you calculate 6÷ 2(1+2)? David Linkletter explains the source of the confusion.plus.maths.org
Some want to tie the first 2 and parenthesis together, others don't.
Even Casio doesn't know LOL
