DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum 48÷2(9+3) = ????

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And I should care, why?

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Of all the awful threads in the tailgate lot, this is the one that warranted that comment?

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I literally, "lol"ed

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Can you tell?

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Yep!

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: if you're looking to solve an elementary school arithmetic problem, then yes, use the so-called "left to right rule" (which really isn't a mathematical rule at all, but a predetermined assumption). But if you're solving it with any regard to some sort of practical application, then the situation is going to dictate how you solve the problem. It may be to solve from left to right, as with Excl in terms of programming, or it may be something else, but without knowing those terms, all you can do is make an assumption and go from there. That's all.

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Can you tell?

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Yep!

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: if you're looking to solve an elementary school arithmetic problem, then yes, use the so-called "left to right rule" (which really isn't a mathematical rule at all, but a predetermined assumption).

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I had thought that the use of the shorthand multplication format, 2(9+3), as opposed to 2*(9+3), showed a preference in operation order similar to using parentheses.

My answer would be 2.

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4

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It is safe to assume you were not a math major.

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I had thought that the use of the shorthand multplication format, 2(9+3), as opposed to 2*(9+3), showed a preference in operation order similar to using parentheses.

My answer would be 2.

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Not to get philosophical really, but its not a rule in the sense that math is a naturally existing thing and the nature of math must obey the rule, as opposed to something like language which was created by people where certain things, like subject-verb agreement, are rules that must technically be followed.

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It's a philosophical debate though!

I think the problem is that by writing it out in text language that can fit on a message board, it no longer is strictly a math problem, and becomes a language parsing issue where rules like "left-to-right" start to apply.

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Of all the awful threads in the tailgate lot, this is the one that warranted that comment?

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The only correct answer is two.

The division sign is the key. The "2" next to the parentheses indicates that the parenthetical result is to be multiplied by 2, hence 24,...then 48 is divided by that result.

Any real math professor would do it that way.

You don't just go "left-to-right" as some have indicated. You break the equation down by what is indicated first.

If the drafter wanted the answer to be 288 it would have to have looked like this (48/2)(9+3). THAT is 288.

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Yep.

Because it is the biggest waste of time on this entire message board. Without a doubt.

Seriously, who gives a rat's ass about this math problem? Not even the guy who posed it - he's only posted 2 or 3 times in this entire thread and once was to tell me I cared because I replied.

I don't.

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... and yet, you're still here yappin' about it.

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The only correct answer is two.

The division sign is the key. The "2" next to the parentheses indicates that the parenthetical result is to be multiplied by 2, hence 24,...then 48 is divided by that result.

Any real math professor would do it that way.

You don't just go "left-to-right" as some have indicated. You break the equation down by what is indicated first.

If the drafter wanted the answer to be 288 it would have to have looked like this (48/2)(9+3). THAT is 288.

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Once you do inside the parenthesis you have 48 / 2 * 12. When all you have left is multiplication and division, you work left to right. 24 * 12 = 288.

Multiplciation and division are the same rank in the order of operations. When you have operations of the same rank, you work left to right.

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So is there a definitive answer to this question?

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Yes, like I said before, it depends on you compiler.

The link cfrs gave explains it well: http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/48293

The most generally accepted answer is 288, using standard order of operations.

Depending on what you were taught though, you might come up with 2 if you though PEMDAS meant Multiplying became before Division ... which is the wrong train of thought. Mult and Division are of the same priority, so you go in order of left-to-right to "break the tie" ... multiplication doesn't always come before division.

If you have heavy background in Algebra, then you might think a number infront of parens means *implied* multiplication ... where 2(12) is the same as 2x, and would therefore hold higher priority than standard mult and div. But according to that site, the general consensus is that 2(12) is 2 * 12 and not 2x (x = 12)

So like I said, it depends on your compiler.

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Just remember that everything you read on the internet is not necessarily true. anyone have one of those smart calculators where you can plug in the equation and get an answer? I would trust Texas Instruments long before I trusted google.

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Found that at the link Excl posted.

This actually is ambiguous, and it depends on whether you view this as 48/[2(9*3)] or 48/2*(9*3).

My interpretation is the former because of the parenthesis and the implied multiplication. 2(9*3) becomes the divisor and 48 is the dividend. That makes the answer 2.

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Inmath you do not imply anything ... Therefore the 2 multiplies the 12 as in 2x where x = (9+3) which = 24.

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... which is implied multiplication.

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Lol, not really.

The ÷ literally means the exact same thing as the vinculum (fraction bar). And since the 2 is implicitly multiplied to the (9*3), it becomes the denominator to the numerator of 48.

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Of all the awful threads in the tailgate lot, this is the one that warranted that comment?

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Yep.

Because it is the biggest waste of time on this entire message board. Without a doubt.

Seriously, who gives a rat's ass about this math problem? Not even the guy who posed it - he's only posted 2 or 3 times in this entire thread and once was to tell me I cared because I replied.

I don't.

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