Solve this simple math problem: 48/2(9+3)

[McGiord]

Nope, but considering the level of math it takes to do taxes, he could . Should I ask him if he would do yours for you?

Well thanks for being so generous. But I prefer to pay less taxes, so 2 is still a better calculation than 288.

What kind of ECU you pirate? Vehicle's ECU?

 

[dukebound85]

Well thanks for being so generous. But I prefer to pay less taxes, so 2 is still a better calculation than 288.

What kind of ECU you pirate? Vehicle's ECU?

But the average American gets a refund soooooo 288 clearly wins lol

 

[McGiord]

But the average American gets a refund soooooo 288 clearly wins lol

Less is more, and more is less when to taxes you refer...

If you have a big refund, it means that you pay too much, so you are not being very good at your day to day application of math.

Also when you say American do you refer to any citizen in the American continent or just the people that was born in the United States of America?

Either way an American receiving a big tax refund means that a lot of his (or her) money was better used by the government than what he (or she) could have done with it. Taking us back to the same subject: poor application of Math skills.

In the USA, you always have a second chance to file an amendment. So if you fail doing your math, you have a second chance..Something very well thought for those who follow the PEMDAS.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

Or when you reach an actually high math class you simply express division as a fraction.

Most of the time I do express them as a fraction but for something like this I would write it exactly as it was original shown. Why because / tells me it is a normal divide not a fraction.

 

[QuarterSwede]

[OFF TOPIC]

Also when you say American do you refer to any citizen in the American continent or just the people that was born in the United States of America.

As a US citizen, that is a pet peeve of mine. The Americas are pretty friggin' big continents, not a country.

Less is more, and more is less when to taxes you refer...

If you have a big refund, it means that you pay too much, so you are not being very good at your day to day application of math.

Either way an American receiving a big tax refund means that a lot of his (or her) money was better used by the government than what he (or she) could have done with it. Taking us back to the same subject: poor application of Math skills.

To be honest, it isn't that simple. The government doesn't make it easy to even understand what the heck they're asking for on the forms.

 

[dukebound85]

If you have a big refund, it means that you pay too much, so you are not being very good at your day to day application of math.

Yea, I know if you receive a refund, you gave the gov't an interest free loan and all that. I was just making light of the topic.....as most people like to get an unexpected amt back vs owe..even if it isn't the smartest in terms of financial sense for them

Also when you say American do you refer to any citizen in the American continent or just the people that was born in the United States of America.

What do you think in the context I had written it?

 

[CalBoy]

Didn't all your methods, whatever they are called, give a priority to do the parenthesis operation first?
It is not my assumption, it is the method/explanation given by others.

My initial answer is and will always be 2.
My Mac can't be wrong.
Mac OS X can't be wrong.
Not here.
A Mac in MacRumors can't fail.

On the other hand Wolfram Alpha came up with 288, and so did Google.

This all comes down to how you read the "/" If you assume it's a fraction bar, you get 2. If you assume it's a division sign, you get 288. When it's not clear what it's meant to be, division is the standard interpretation because even when "/"is used in fractions, it is essentially acting like a division sign. If you want to express a giant fraction, just use the right amount of parentheses.

 

[ECUpirate44]

Well thanks for being so generous. But I prefer to pay less taxes, so 2 is still a better calculation than 288.

What kind of ECU you pirate? Vehicle's ECU?

Google ECU Pirate and see what comes up

 

[paolo-]

I get 61,835, but I'm beginning to think someone has mucked around with the keys on my calculator.

Cheers,
OW

You sure you're not using an old PC?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_FDIV_bug

 

[iJohnHenry]

But the average American gets a refund soooooo 288 clearly wins lol

Really.

So the government has use of your money all year, and you're OK with that??

 

[KnightWRX]

Really.

So the government has use of your money all year, and you're OK with that??

Sure, everyone likes a budget surplus.

I tend to see it as the government holding on to it for me so I don't spend it and get to then use it as disposable income.

 

[McGiord]

OpenOffice

OK Guys more results.


OpenOffice: initially prompts the error message and after clicking on Yes, it gives your so famous 288...so after manipulating the original expression, the mathematical expression is changed...or modified to deliver 288

 

[McGiord]

Numbers

Here is the outcome in Numbers.

 

[McGiord]

Google Docs

Parse Error

 

[fivetoadsloth]

Mathematica 8. As far as I am concerned the most powerful math software available. People don't shell out thousands of dollars for a product that can't do basic math.

288.

 

[balamw]

Didn't all your methods, whatever they are called, give a priority to do the parenthesis operation first?
It is not my assumption, it is the method/explanation given by others

I already took that into account. Can't you see?

48/2(12) is something we should all be able to agree on. anything in parentheses must be evaluated before anything else.

x/y(a+b) becomes x/y(c). That's the P in PEMDAS and it's done. At this point there are only multiply and divide operations left. This is just x/y*c which should be evaluated left to right. Because it is indistinguishable from x*d*c = x*(1/y)*c. I can commute operands to get x*c*(1/y) and rewrite that as xc/y should I want to.

B

 

[Abstract]

Wow. There are still people who think the answer is 2? I'll check back later, but please remember that not everyone is good at maths. Let it be.

 

[Tilpots]

Google ECU Pirate and see what comes up

My search results returned "college dropout."

 

[dukebound85]

Really.

So the government has use of your money all year, and you're OK with that??

edit: to stay out of prsi but l am not against helping maintain society via taxes and other similar ways such as this

 

[Les Kern]

i got 41.098

Must be this PC I'm using.

 

[EricNau]

I've entered enough equations online to know that this equation is almost always interpreted as:




I appreciate that it's confusing upon first glance, but the answer simply cannot and should not be 2. If this were the case, math would be an ambiguous study.


It might become more apparent with the equation:

48/2(9+3)(1+4)+33-47/3(sin(45))​

Surely we should not interpret everything following the first division symbol as belonging in the denominator, including an additional fraction. As Wolfram Alpha interpreted, I intended for my equation to be read as:

​

 

[Pngwyn]

The answer is most definitely 2.

PEMDAS + left to right.. written the way it is.. the answer should be 2.

The only way it would be 288 is if it was written:

48/[2(9+3)]

 

[ender land]

The answer is most definitely 2.

PEMDAS + left to right.. written the way it is.. the answer should be 2.

The only way it would be 288 is if it was written:

48/[2(9+3)]

...

Part of me hopes you are writing an intentionally funny post where literally everything in your post is backwards if so, bravo, if not, um, well, everything you said is wrong.

 

[balamw]

Surely we should not interpret everything following the first division symbol as belonging in the denominator, including an additional fraction.

You've just stumbled on a new notation for continued fractions. Oh wait, we already have better ways of representing that.

The only way it would be 288 is if it was written:
48/[2(9+3)]

Where do the square brackets fall in your interpretation of PE(MD)(AS) + left to right? And how in the name of all that is holy can you interpret that as giving 288 instead of 2. Wouldn't 288 require [2(9+3)] to evaluate to (1/6) so the final answer would be 48*6 = 228. I would have expected [48/2](9+3).

B

 

[iStudentUK]

I appreciate that it's confusing upon first glance, but the answer simply cannot and should not be 2. If this were the case, math would be an ambiguous study.


It might become more apparent with the equation:

48/2(9+3)(1+4)+33-47/3(sin(45))​

Surely we should not interpret everything following the first division symbol as belonging in the denominator, including an additional fraction. As Wolfram Alpha interpreted, I intended for my equation to be read as:

View attachment 280700​

Thank you!

Division should be written as a fraction "_" or ( ... )^-1. Nobody with maths skills beyond that of a ten year old should be using "/". This question is using this notation only because MR forums aren't good for writing equations. We must think of this in our heads as being a fraction, and ask how it would be written, and your's makes the most sense.