Edda van Heefmstra Ruston Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Hahaha, well shit, then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stalker Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Parentheses first, and then left to right evaluation, since multiplication and division are treated equally. 288.So 48/2x=24x? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insomnium Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 So 48/2x=24x?Right-o. Not that it really matters. At this point, I'm mostly curious about the thread's purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Frey Posted April 8, 2011 Author Share Posted April 8, 2011 Right-o. Not that it really matters. At this point, I'm mostly curious about the thread's purpose.It is a Friday brain teaser, no more, no less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datepalm Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I thought two as well, but I think i'm wrong, since my assumption is also that multiplication and division are supposed to be equal, but I haven't seen the ÷ since primary school, and if the 2(9+3) were written under the 48 the answer would somehow be more correctly 2? Not sure what the rule is, really. (I guess as a check one could do 48/(18+6)). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lany Freelove Cassandra Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I'm with Lany. I vaguely remember from Algebra 1 that anything in the ()s was meant to be multiplied with the bits on the outside. So I also did the bit outside them -- 48/2=24 -- give me 24(9+3). Then I added in the brackets to get 12 and found myself looking at 24(12) which I multiplied to come up with 288.But I also am not a math whiz. I got As through Algebra 1, stumbled through the loopy world of Geometry with Bs, and then ran into a wall in my Algebra 2/Trig course which I barely squeaked through. Everything after that was only passed with lots of help from tutors and forgotten as quickly as possible.Yeah, it's been 26 years since my last math class and by then I was bored with the subject and just didn't care (college calculas and I remember none of it :P )I did love algebra and geometry though, just haven't done any of it in far too long and my memory is failing.But it looks like we are not alone (nor total fails either) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Filippa Eilhart Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 what I want to know is why is there no multiplication sign between the 2 and the brackets? Is this an English language thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arbor Gold Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I'm going to go with 2 on this one. (Actually, the first time I did it I got 1, but it's early over here and I haven't had coffee yet :P)The way I read it, '48' is one term, and '2(9+3)' is another term. So the problem reads "48 divided by the result of 2 times the sum of 9 plus 3". Which is 2.I loved algebra as a kid. I'm probably wrong on this one, but I had a really hard time figuring out how to come up with 288. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Because a number placed next to brackets means multiplication. 2(3) means the same as 2•3. And the answer is 288, even I knew that and it's been decades since I've done math :P This is extremely simple order of operations math, which is taught in pre-algebra. Why do we have a thread for sixth grade homework? ;)48÷2(9+3)48÷2(12)24(12)288Order of operation states that multiplication and division are given equal importance, and thus are done from left to right. Since the division occurs before the multiplication, you have to divide first. You can't multiply 2(12) before dividing, because the multiplication occurs after the division in the problem, and the Order of Operation Gods will smite your ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheep the Evicted Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 what I want to know is why is there no multiplication sign between the 2 and the brackets? Is this an English language thing?Possibly. I thought it was universal.If the questioner had wanted you to get 288 they would/should have written it out like (48÷2)(9+3). Or in the Grand Duchy (48÷2) x (9+3)Edit: Oh my bad. I have seen where i made the mistake. Its definitely 288. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungtotte Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 This is exactly why parenthesis were introduced in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Possibly. I thought it was universal.If the questioner had wanted you to get 288 they would/should have written it out like (48÷2)(9+3). Or in the Grand Duchy (48÷2) x (9+3)Parentheses does not change the answer on this one, it simply helps people separate it into two separate terms in their mind. (48÷2)(9+3) is the same as 48÷2(9+3). If you write the division as a fraction it might be easier to get.To get 2 it'd need to be written 48÷[2(9+3)] which is what most of you are doing.And if anyone needs further proof that it's 288, the computational engine agrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L’Age d’or Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Because a number placed next to brackets means multiplication. 2(3) means the same as 2•3. And the answer is 288, even I knew that and it's been decades since I've done math :P This is extremely simple order of operations math, which is taught in pre-algebra. Why do we have a thread for sixth grade homework? ;)48÷2(9+3)48÷2(12)24(12)288Order of operation states that multiplication and division are given equal importance, and thus are done from left to right. Since the division occurs before the multiplication, you have to divide first. You can't multiply 2(12) before dividing, because the multiplication occurs after the division in the problem, and the Order of Operation Gods will smite your ass.48÷2(9+3) ==> 48÷ 2*12 ==> 48÷24=2At least this is how I learned it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 48÷2(9+3) ==> 48÷ 2*12 ==> 48÷24=2At least this is how I learned it.That'd be 48÷[2(9+3)], which isn't how the problem's written. You have to divide the 48 by 2 because there's nothing separating them, and order of operation requires division before multiplication. Think of it as a fraction 48/2, and it might be easier to get. When written as a fraction it's a single term, and shows that the 2 is being put into the 48, and can't be applied to the (9+3), which is in paranthesis for a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L’Age d’or Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 That'd be 48÷[2(9+3)], which isn't how the problem's written. You have to divide the 48 by 2 because there's nothing separating them, and order of operation requires division before multiplication. Think of it as a fraction 48/2, and it might be easier to get. When written as a fraction it's a single term, and shows that the 2 is being put into the 48, and can't be applied to the (9+3), which is in paranthesis for a reason.Its not that I'm missing the brackets, back in school if they gave us something like this, we had to assume anything preceding/following the division as a unique unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 behooves you to specify the basethat's the correct reply. is it decimal, octals, hexadecimal, rads, golden ratio, i--WTF? THE QUESTION IS NOT ANSARIBBLE!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoth Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Ah c'mon... The answer is 42. Didn't you guys read Adams, FFS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantabile Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 Its not that I'm missing the brackets, back in school if they gave us something like this, we had to assume anything preceding/following the division as a unique unit.I don't know if that's specific to your country, school, or the time, but now adays 48÷2(9+3) is to be treated the same as (48÷2)(9+3), and that's how computational engines will solve the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sologdin Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 ice already flexed his Literary Allusion Supremacy Muscles on that front, quoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Mance Posted April 8, 2011 Share Posted April 8, 2011 I got 2 as well, and was rather smug about it until I asked my 8th grade daughter what she thought. She wasted no time in coming up with 288, at which point my 5th grade daughter piped up with "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" which caused a rather painful explosion of neurons that haven't fired at all in 30 years.Now I'm late for work, my kids are grounded, and I've got a headache. Thanks bunches, Waldo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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