What is right answer??

[janaki]

36 / 6(2+2+2) = ??

 

What is the right answer?? 1 or 32 ??

 

My friend told me,

 

"use BODMAS..

 

==> 36/6*6

 

==> 6*6= 36 "

[Unity+]

36 / 6(2+2+2) = ??

 

What is the right answer?? 1 or 32 ??

 

My friend told me,

 

"use BODMAS..

 

==> 36/6*6

 

==> 6*6= 36 "

Well, we would use PEMDAS.

 

Parenthesis

 

Exponents

 

Multiply

 

Divide

 

Addition

 

Subtraction

 

So, with this one, we would do the following

 

36/6(2+2+2)

 

36/6(6)

 

36/36 = 1

[ajb]

The answer is 1 as Unity+ states.

[pwagen]

36/6(6) is the same as 36/6*(6). And seeing as I'm pretty sure multiplication and division has the same priority, it's a matter of going left to right. 36/6 = 6, 6*(6) = 36.

 

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#The_standard_order_of_operations

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=36%2F6(2%2B2%2B2)

 

Edit: Come to think of it, seeing as two people who probably know more about math than I do have said otherwise, I'd love to be pointed out why I'm wrong.

Edited March 15, 2014 by pwagen

[imatfaal]

Priority of operations is a matter of convention - and the most important part of any convention is normally to make your expression clear. We get these regularly and the "correct" answer is a matter of interpretation or of convention. If there are two different and reasonable interpretations of your expression then it needs some more brackets

[Unity+]

36/6(6) is the same as 36/6*(6). And seeing as I'm pretty sure multiplication and division has the same priority, it's a matter of going left to right. 36/6 = 6, 6*(6) = 36.

 

http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations#The_standard_order_of_operations

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=36%2F6(2%2B2%2B2)

 

Edit: Come to think of it, seeing as two people who probably know more about math than I do have said otherwise, I'd love to be pointed out why I'm wrong.

No, it's a matter of syntax in the equation.

 

(36/6)*6 = 36

36/(6(6)) = 1

[pwagen]

No, it's a matter of syntax in the equation.

 

(36/6)*6 = 36

36/(6(6)) = 1

Yes, but the original equation wasn't 36/(6(6)), so to me, this still doesn't explain why 36/6(6) would equal 1.

[studiot]

 

Yes, but the original equation wasn't 36/(6(6)), so to me, this still doesn't explain why 36/6(6) would equal 1.

 

 

 

Yes the original question was nonsense (sorry ill- posed), and what one might expect from trying to write a fraction on a single line. So the questioner should expect nonsense in answer. If a proper answer is wanted then more mathematical punctuation is required as imatfaal says.

 

In fact it is determined by whether I owe someone the sum of dollars given by the calculation, or they owe me.

 

If I owe them then the answer is 1

 

If they owe me then the answer is 36.

 

Edited March 15, 2014 by studiot

[pwagen]

I absolutely agree the equation is written poorly. But the way I was taught, the order of operation always stood fast, so seeing people educated in math say it can, in fact, be interpreted two ways is a bit shocking.

[studiot]

 

I absolutely agree the equation is written poorly. But the way I was taught, the order of operation always stood fast, so seeing people educated in math say it can, in fact, be interpreted two ways is a bit shocking.

 

It is a conspiracy to hide the fact that computers are thick.

So they have their geek henchmen create obfuscation since they can only write on one line.

 

I expect you were taught the proper way to say what you mean so

 

[math]answer = \frac{{36}}{6}x6[/math]

 

If you mean you owe me 36

 

and

 

[math]answer = \frac{{36}}{{6x6}}[/math]

 

If I owe you 1

 

Note that Excel and My TI calculator both render the original expression as 36.

 

 

Edited March 15, 2014 by studiot

[imatfaal]

Frankly Studiot's interpretation is far and away the best - and sounds reminiscent of my father's phrase for answering questions like this "Before I answer: Are you buying or selling?"

 

 

Mnemonics are often used to help students remember the rules, but the rules taught by the use of acronyms can be misleading. In the United States the acronym PEMDAS is common. It stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction. PEMDAS is often expanded to "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" with the first letter of each word creating the acronym PEMDAS. Canada uses BEDMAS. It stands for Brackets, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. The UK and Australia[8] use BODMAS or BIDMAS.

In Canada and other English speaking countries, Parentheses may be called Brackets, or symbols of inclusion and Exponents may be called either Indices, Powers or Orders, which have the same precedence as Roots or Radicals. Since multiplication and division are of equal precedence, M and D are often interchanged, leading to such acronyms as BOMDAS. The original order of operations in most countries was BODMAS which stood for Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction. This mnemonic was used until exponentials were added into the mnemonic.

 

 

From Wiki http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations

[pwagen]

 

It is a conspiracy to hide the fact that computers are thick.

So they have their geek henchmen create obfuscation since they can only write on one line.

 

I knew it!

 

You might have nailed the hit on the hammer though. Part of my obsessional, tunnel vision reading of "the right order" is probably due to my computer background. Most programming languages I'm aware of use PEDMAS, with M and D prioritized the same, no exceptions or anything.

 

Computers are so simple. I'm glad I didn't get into something difficult and illogical. Like mathematics...

[ajb]

People should not use "divide by", rather division is just a way or writing multiplication by invertible elements. The same is true of "minus", just now we have the additive inverses. In this way we can tidy up our expressions.

 

I read the opening expression as [math]36 (6(2+2+2))^{-1} = 36 \: 36^{-1}=1[/math].

 

If it were meant to be something else then more brackets should be included.

Edited March 16, 2014 by ajb

[studiot]

 

I read the opening expression as .

 

 

 

 

So did I, but when you type it into Excel or a calculator, directly as written in post1 you obtain a result of 36 (not an error and not 1)

[ajb]

You are right. Using the ÷ symbol wolfram alpha gives 36. Using div it gives 1. Clearly the trouble is, as expected with the ÷ notation, which I don't like partly for this reason.

[studiot]

Perhaps someone typed this expression into the nav computer of the missing plane?

[pzkpfw]

In the OP, the equation is shown (in text, outside of the image) as:

 

36 / 6(2+2+2) = ??

 

Would people who see it as:

 

36 / (6 * (2+2+2)) = ??

 

Have seen it differently if it were written as:

 

36/6 (2+2+2) = ??

 

Me, I agree with the basic multiplication=division, addition=subtraction comments in post #13 from ajb; so definitely (sans modifers such as parenthesis) take these from left to right. So ... 36.

 

 

Who got 32? ;-)

[deesuwalka]

Use order of operation, i.e.,PEMDAS (Parenthesis, Exponent, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)

 

 

[latex] 36\div 6(2+2+2)= ? [/latex]

 

 

First, Parenthesis-

 

[latex] =36\div6(6) [/latex]

 

Now, between multiplication and division, we apply operation which comes first, here division comes first so we apply division-

 

[latex]= 6(6) [/latex]

 

Now, applying multiplication-

 

[latex]= 6(6)\;\;\implies 6\times6=36 [/latex]

 

I hope it' ll help.

Edited October 14, 2016 by deesuwalka

[John Cuthber]

Since the expression is ambiguous, the correct response to being asked

"What is 36 / 6(2+2+2) = ?"

is

"What do you mean?"

[michel123456]

36 / 6(2+2+2) = ??

 

What is the right answer?? 1 or 32 ??

 

My friend told me,

 

"use BODMAS..

 

==> 36/6*6

 

==> 6*6= 36 "

The answer is not 32.

Then it is 1.

There is no ambiguity but maybe there is a typo and that helps.

[Sensei]

I put this equation to OpenOffice 4.1.1 SpreadSheet,

=36/6*(2+2+2)

and got.. 36.

 

Can somebody try MS Excel?

[imatfaal]

Excel 2013 gives 36

 

as does Google Sheets and a Google Search

[koti]

I used this calculator and the answer it gave is also 36.
As did this one and this one as well.

[MigL]

Open to interpretation, unless it concerns money owed to me or a debt, as Studiot says.

( I'm gonna try that approach on my tax return )

Although if Studiot is going to criticize the OP's ambiguity, he shouldn't use the variable x as a multiplication operator.

( that's why I don't use LaTex; I'd make tons of similar mistakes )

Edited October 19, 2016 by MigL

[AshBox]

36 / 6(2 + 2 + 2) =
36 / 6(6) =
36/36 =
1.

 

I hope this will help you.