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View Poll Results: 48÷2(9+3) = ??? | |||
2 | 29 | 42.03% | |
288 | 37 | 53.62% | |
Trout | 3 | 4.35% | |
Voters: 69. You may not vote on this poll |
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04-28-2011, 08:21 AM | #51 | ||
Coordinator
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Dayton, OH
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Anybody doing any kind of serious math would not write it in such a sloppy format, so the whole debate is kind of pointless.
But I personally got "2". In any math problem, I consider anything after the division sign to ALL be the divisor, so it would be 48 over (2*(9+3)). Obviously, so do about half the people on here and around the internets. OR I would say quit writing your problems in such a douchey way to allow different interpretations and be clear.
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04-28-2011, 09:54 AM | #52 | |
assmaster
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Bloomington, IN
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Quote:
This. And what Greg said. I see this as the language equivalent of substituting homophones for the word you actually mean. Sure, I can make sense of it, but you may not be conveying the information you intended with the correct level of precision. Or you're just being a douche. |
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04-28-2011, 10:06 AM | #53 | |
Bounty Hunter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Quote:
3/2*2 is obviously very different from 3/(2*2). In the first case, since multiplication and division hold the same precedence, evaluate from left to right. In the second case, the parentheses are clearly evaluated first. Going back to the original problem, it seems like a bad idea to write 48/2*(9+3) when you mean to write 48/(2*(9+3)). Then again, it also seems like we all agree that the problem is badly written in the first place, although it's apparently done that way on purpose to polarize us and make us think somebody out there is stupid. So, yeah, internet in a nutshell, I guess.
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04-28-2011, 10:39 AM | #54 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Great Northwest
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04-28-2011, 10:39 AM | #55 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
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Quote:
I said 2, but now that I think about it doesn't the Order of Operations for multiplication and division state you multiply and/or divide from left to right? If so, then it's 288. |
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04-28-2011, 10:42 AM | #56 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
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Dola
The correct answer in accounting to this question is "whatever the hell I want it to be". So being an accountant, I'm going with that one. |
04-28-2011, 05:20 PM | #57 |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Ashburn, VA
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42
/tk
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04-29-2011, 11:11 AM | #58 |
SI Games
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Melbourne, FL
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48÷2(9+3) = ??
BODMAS = Binary, Operator, Divide, Multiply, Addition, Subtraction Hence write it long hand: 48 / 2 x ( 9 + 3 ) Brackets first = 48 / 2 x 12 Divide Next 24 x 12 Multiply Next 288 At least thats how a computer would undertake it; personally I'd say any coder who wrote an equation like that needs shooting - as its not instantly clear what it'll do and bracketing takes 2 minutes to do and makes reading equations FAR simpler. Last edited by Marc Vaughan : 04-29-2011 at 11:19 AM. |
04-29-2011, 11:15 AM | #59 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
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Quote:
I think where a lot of people were hung up was that the correct way to say this is Binary, Operator, Divide and/or Multiply left to right, Addition and/or Subtraction left to right. So it's really BODAOML2RAAOSL2R |
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04-29-2011, 11:18 AM | #60 | |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
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Quote:
I think this is my final answer, too. It's unsolvable because of the lack of brackets. 2(9+3) doesn't necessarily mean 2*(9+3), so it's left to the interpretation of the reader. I can see an argument for both 2 and 288 because of that. |
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04-29-2011, 01:11 PM | #61 |
Bounty Hunter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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If 2(9+3) doesn't necessarily mean 2*(9+3), what else could it mean?
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04-29-2011, 01:24 PM | #62 | |
Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Minnesota
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Quote:
(2*(9+3)) is how I initially thought of it as. Last edited by jbergey22 : 04-29-2011 at 01:24 PM. |
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04-29-2011, 01:48 PM | #63 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Oakland, CA
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It's a trick question that can't be answered unless you assume something. Basically a troll math question to divert nerds attentions away from the Death Star long enough to set up a trap.
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04-29-2011, 03:46 PM | #64 |
Pro Starter
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Northern Kentucky
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I came up with 288.
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05-01-2011, 11:14 PM | #65 |
n00b
Join Date: Feb 2005
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Really, 2 pages? Come on...
There is obivously no correct, cannonical, answer to this. The question, as stated is ambigious. Getting google,yahoo or whatever to calculate is useless, as it just depends on the algorithm they use to intepert your input. Edit: Aggh, see this has been dormant for a few days. Hope I don't awaken the beast... Last edited by heardie : 05-01-2011 at 11:15 PM. |
05-01-2011, 11:41 PM | #66 | |
Bounty Hunter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
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Quote:
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05-02-2011, 08:02 AM | #67 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Big Ten Country
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So is 2 pages too many or too few? Are you saying that since it's ambiguous, we should be arguing about it more, or that since it's ambiguous, we should all check the 'no answer' box and move on?
That said, personally, I hope you *do* awaken the beast. |
05-02-2011, 09:04 AM | #68 |
Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: North Carolina
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I voted 2 b/c that was my gut instinct.
But, having read this thread, I think that I would change to either "trout" or "288." |
05-02-2011, 06:29 PM | #69 |
Coordinator
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: The Black Hole
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Between this and Beyonce's Run the World which has a line that says "Who run the world?" numerous times, I weep for the United States. We can't do simple math and we can't speak correctly.
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05-02-2011, 06:49 PM | #70 |
n00b
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Australia
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I just don't see how this type of mathematics would be relevant in a real life situation. Trout.
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