Need help w/ a Math Problem....

[Prince Valiant]

What is the answer: 48÷2(9+3) = ?

[RanJer]

Which answer do you want?

[Crawlin]

288

Is no different than 48÷2*(9+3)

So 48÷2*12

24 * 12

= 288

That's my assumption

Which if you switch it around...

(9+3)*48÷2

12*48÷2

576÷2

= 288

[Anakonda69]

i know i'm rusty but shouldn't it be 2? the 12 is in parentheses so it gets multiplied by 2 before the division.

so 48/2(9+3)=48/2(12)=48/24=2.

[03Seville]

288

Is no different than 48÷2*(9+3)

So 48÷2*12

24 * 12

= 288

That's my assumption

Which if you switch it around...

(9+3)*48÷2

12*48÷2

576÷2

= 288

^^this^^






i know i'm rusty but shouldn't it be 2? the 12 is in parentheses so it gets multiplied by 2 before the division.

so 48/2(9+3)=48/2(12)=48/24=2.

the parenthesis have to be finished first yes so 9+3=12, which means we now eliminated the parenthesis which makes it 48/2*12=288

[Anakonda69]

like i said rusty. guess i need to brush up before my stupid entrance exam for wctc. lol 10 yrs out of high school and simple algebra eludes me. lol i would hate to see where my calculus skills have ended up. lol

[michelle]

http://i.imgur.com/tzFGO.png

[Firefighter Z]

I have mine coming up also... I used to be good at math, but I never used it since I've been out of high school and that was in '01

[FoxStang]

What is the answer: 48÷2(9+3) = ?
Kind of poorly written, and ambiguous. Using the order of operations you'd get 288, but the problem would have to be48/2*(9+3). But if your using the distributive property, you could hypothetically get 2 as it changes the formula to 48/[(2*9)+(2*3)]. The devil is in the details.

[Crawlin]

Let's have fun.... remove the outer brackets (even though it's not right to do, it's still funny)

48/(2*9)+(2*3)

so 48/(18)+(6)

So 8.66666666666.......

HAHA

[03Seville]

Kind of poorly written, and ambiguous. Using the order of operations you'd get 288, but the problem would have to be48/2*(9+3). But if your using the distributive property, you could hypothetically get 2 as it changes the formula to 48/[(2*9)+(2*3)]. The devil is in the details.

True, thought I was young enough to remember high school but I guess I forgot some stuff lol

[05caddyext]

Having the problem written exactly as he did isn't ambiguous at all. It is known that having a problem like 9(4+3) always means you multiply whats inside the bracket by the number outside it. There is no devil in the details, because you always multiply by the outside number.

[FoxStang]

Having the problem written exactly as he did isn't ambiguous at all. It is known that having a problem like 9(4+3) always means you multiply whats inside the bracket by the number outside it. There is no devil in the details, because you always multiply by the outside number.

But it is, did he mean 48/2*(9+3) or 48÷2(9+3), because you'd get two different answers, most of the people here interpreted it as 48/2*(9+3), not 48÷2(9+3), which is the original written form. The question is meant to garner discussion, so without extra brackets, yes, it is ambiguous and definitely poorly written.

[lordairgtar]

Great! Now I have a headache trying to figure out something I could never do. Couldn't do it in HS and I can't do it now. Even with the answer right in front of me, I can't understand this.

Went back to it and now I get it. 05caddy made it simple. In school, this kind of thing was just dropped on me and with no explanation on how to do it.

[TransAm12sec]

I use google when a Calculator isn't handy.

http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&source=hp&q=48%2F2%289%2B3%29&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=887c2727d6b8b5ea

Remember Order of Operations.
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&safe=off&source=hp&q=48%2F2%289%2B3%29&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=887c2727d6b8b5ea


http://sciencefun.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/verizon.jpg

[HITMAN]

i know i'm rusty but shouldn't it be 2? the 12 is in parentheses so it gets multiplied by 2 before the division.

so 48/2(9+3)=48/2(12)=48/24=2.

That's what I came up with but my mind has so atrophied at this sort of math I couldn't remember if the sum in parenthesis was multiplied or divided by the other sum.:confused

[WickedSix]

more properly is the original (48/2)*(9+3) or is it 48/(2*(9+3)) ..... it is ambiguous because you don't know how the original equation was written.... if it was truly written as originaly stated it is an order of operations question (like they do in standardized test to see if kids have learned what order of operations are)

[WhatsADSM]

Y'all don't remember PEMDAS?

48÷2(9+3) <-- PEMDAS
48÷2x12 <-- PEMDAS (Multiplication and division are same order, operate left to right)
24x12 <-- PEMDAS
288

[05caddyext]

This is like second grade math. There is no ambiguity in the original problem. It is written correctly. That is exactly how you would see that on a math test. If you got anything other than 288, you would be wrong all day long. There is simply no other way to write or solve that simple problem. Those making it hugely complex are just plain wrong, it's that simple. What if 288 was in the list of multiple choice answers, and your answer was not, would you just not answer?

[michelle]

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally!

[WickedSix]

people commonly write math problems down wrong without realizing they are introducing ambiguity from their intended problem.... i.e. if written by hand all of the second part could have been below on the division..... and if you think math is absolute you really don't know very much advanced math...where a car 12 ft long can fit into a 10 ft long garage....

some people have interpretted the OP intentions differently is all...

[FoxStang]

This is like second grade math. There is no ambiguity in the original problem. It is written correctly. That is exactly how you would see that on a math test. If you got anything other than 288, you would be wrong all day long. There is simply no other way to write or solve that simple problem. Those making it hugely complex are just plain wrong, it's that simple. What if 288 was in the list of multiple choice answers, and your answer was not, would you just not answer?

Never said I didn't get 288, its actually the answer I came up with when I first did the problem. What I'm saying is based on the context, its conceivable that its just poor notation and the answer could be two. Seeing it on the computer makes this hard, as the ÷ sign in my eyes is inferior to what should be common fraction notation, after all division is just multiplication of a multiplicative inverse. 48 all over 2 times the sum of 9 and 3 is not necessarily the same as 48 divided by 2 times the sum of 9 and 3 because of the implied relationship. The question is more properly noted as 48/2(9+3), which does in fact, equal 288 when using the proper order of operations.

[WhatsADSM]

As for ambiguity, it can be noted but that's it. IMO it would be silly to assume that something else was desired, especially when the question itself contains parenthesis suggesting they have some intention of ordering the operations. If they wanted a different ordering it would have been specified with more parenthesis.

Math is math. You write it down wrong that's your fault.. that is the reasoning for PEMDAS in the first place. The question asked for the answer to a math problem and the mathematical answer is 288.

[Adam Brooks]

Math is math. You write it down wrong that's your fault.. that is the reasoning for PEMDAS in the first place. The question asked for the answer to a math problem and the mathematical answer is 288.

Yup.

[FoxStang]

IMO it would be silly to assume that something else was desired, especially when the question itself contains parenthesis suggesting they have some intention of ordering the operations.

On a test perhaps, this however was posted on a forum that bears minimal relation to a mathematical environment. Clearly there was a motive beyond a simple mathematical solution, thus the warranted discussion.

[xxsn0blindxx]

Agreed if you you understand the order of operations there is no ambiguity.. If you think it is ambiguous, you're doing it wrong.

[lordairgtar]

Someone tell me what order of operations is?

[Adam Brooks]

Agreed if you you understand the order of operations there is no ambiguity.. If you think it is ambiguous, you're doing it wrong.

+1

math isnt subjective


Someone tell me what order of operations is?

http://math.about.com/library/weekly/aa040502a.htm

[lordairgtar]

+1

math isnt subjective



http://math.about.com/library/weekly/aa040502a.htm
See, they never told me this stuff in screwl.

[1320PNY]

I still get 2.