Why is this supposedly viral (1 Viewer)

[Michael]

PEMDAS NEEDS TO BURN...

PEMDAS is just a mnemonic to aid the student to learn it. You just need to learn the order of the operations and stop depending on it.

 

[Lovely_Cornchips]

PEMDAS is just a mnemonic to aid the student to learn it. You just need to learn the order of the operations and stop depending on it.

...ok wow rude

 

[lexus]

I thought the answer was 1

 

[Michael]

I thought the answer was 1

6 / 2 x (1 + 2)
You first do the parenthesis. This leads to:
6 / 2 x 3
Then you do the multiplications and divisions from left to right.
(6 / 2) x 3 = 3 x 3 = 9

 

[VillageIdiot]

The super duper mathy people say there is no exact answer but 1 for me

 

[Michael]

6 / 2 x (1 + 2)
Okay, I think nobody has any problem with the parenthesis. So all of us can agree that to be equivalent to
6 / 2 x 3
Now, every division can be expressed as a multiplication thus:
a / b = a x 1/b; where 1/b is the reciprocal of b. So by applying it to the expression, we get:
6 x 1/2 x 3
Now, since multiplication is commutative, you can reorder this expression however you want, and it brings the same result which is 9.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Why in the name of Park Ji Min-ssi should this even be out there?! This is like sixth grade math!

P = parentheses
E = exponents (there are none, in this problem so you skip to M)
M = multiplication
D = division
A = addition
S = subtraction

Lemme work it out for you.

6 / 2 (1+2)
= 6 / 2(3) (bc 1+2 is three and it's the operation in parentheses)
= 6 / 6 (multiplication comes next bc no exponents, so 2*3 is six)
= 1

There you have it.

Apologies if I came off rude - I was v serious about math in school. lol

 

[Ahsoka]

Why in the name of Park Ji Min-ssi should this even be out there?! This is like sixth grade math!

P = parentheses
E = exponents (there are none, in this problem so you skip to M)
M = multiplication
D = division
A = addition
S = subtraction

Lemme work it out for you.

6 / 2 (1+2)
= 6 / 2(3) (bc 1+2 is three and it's the operation in parentheses)
= 6 / 6 (multiplication comes next bc no exponents, so 2*3 is six)
= 1

There you have it.

Apologies if I came off rude - I was v serious about math in school. lol

Multiplication and division are done at the same time. Same as addition and subtraction. So the answer is 9 not 1.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

Multiplication and division are done at the same time. Same as addition and subtraction. So the answer is 9 not 1.

WHA- NO WAY! I think we should take this to PM so as not to both get a warning point. lol

 

[Michael]

Multiplication and division are done at the same time. Same as addition and subtraction. So the answer is 9 not 1.

That's true and I cannot make it any clearer than how I explained it in my last post. Since division can be expressed as a multiplication; they are done at the same level, neither of them taking any precedence over the other. It's the same with addition and subtraction.

 

[ChiaraStar169]

@Vikki actually, I just talked to my math-guru dad, and he says you're right. You have my permission to rub it in my face.

 

[Michael]

I've seen much confusion about maths on this about operator precedence, but I have not given it much thought. Now, this thread leads me to understand how it is that people are so confused. It's the PEMDAS mnemonic. If people fail to understand that the MD and AS parts go together, the whole mnemonic will lead to confusion.

So, the correct way to learn it is
P
E
MD
AS

and not
P
E
M
D
A
S

 

[Tickita]

It's viral because you get to watch people argue over PEMDAS and you get to see multiple answers.

 

[Wingfrost]

A math problem has gone viral?
What is our world coming to?!

 

[Michael]

A math problem has gone viral?
What is our world coming to?!

I don't know. Maths were always interesting to me during my school days. So much that I got a bachelor's degree on maths; but as for a math problem gone viral, I think @Tickita is right. People love to argue.