Tricky Math Problem

[Jason]

Order of operations doesn't explain it. You have to see things as two groups as you read it from left to right.

 

[Arantor]

Order of operations doesn't explain it.

Of course it does, this is literally what this is about: the formal order of operations vs the implication given in PEDMAS/BODMAS. Multiplication and division have the same precedence, just as addition and subraction do with each other. Given equal precedence, left to right is the next order of operation.

But if you spend any time programming you *will* learn this one way or another.

 

[Cory]

But if you spend any time programming you *will* learn this one way or another.

Thank God for the parenthesis.

 

[Dismal_Bliss]

Answer is 9, regardless of what the guy in the video says, lol

 

[Ravenfreak]

It's 9 for sure. If multiplication had higher precedence than division, it would be 1. In this case you would read the equation from left to right.

 

[Jason]

PEMDAS is confusing because it doesn't really state that multiplication and division have equal weight with movement from left to right determining things.

 

[Kyng]

Yeah, I definitely get 9, for the reasons that Arantor gave.

(Although, in the real world, no mathematician would ever write it like this! They'd write it some other way, that made it clear what they meant: for example, "3 x 12/4")

 

[Arantor]

If there were any ambiguity, they’d just slap in a pair of parentheses and call it a day.

 

[Jason]

If there were any ambiguity, they’d just slap in a pair of parentheses and call it a day.

Yeah, parenthesis is needed, but students need to know that division and multiplication got equal rank and have to be evaluated from left to right, and honestly, that's something that was a surprise to me. I just don't think about it.

 

[Senkusha]

I got nine, since as stated above, multiplication and division have equal priority, then reading from left to right, the answer resolves to nine.

 

[Debashis]

What's so difficult in that lol xD

 

[Empire]

What's so difficult in that lol xD

View attachment 3285

Can you redo that again

 

[Debashis]

Can you redo that again

Waste of time. So, nope. 🤣

 

[Empire]

Waste of time. So, nope. 🤣

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Wrong answer anyway

 

[Arantor]

I honestly don't get the problem; I was taught this order of operations more than 30 years ago in school and... it's never been a problem for me until recently when encountering people who stubbornly (and incorrectly) go strictly left to right, for whatever reason.

 

[joelr]

PEMDAS is confusing because it doesn't really state that multiplication and division have equal weight with movement from left to right determining things.

This is why you go to school.

Because your teacher will state that multiplication and division have equal weight. And then she will assign homework that reinforces this point. So in 20 years (or 30 years if you're old like Arantor 🤣), you will have a life skill to debate mathematical order of operations on a forum admin site.

 

[Jason]

This is why you go to school.

Because your teacher will state that multiplication and division have equal weight. And then she will assign homework that reinforces this point. So in 20 years (or 30 years if you're old like Arantor 🤣), you will have a life skill to debate mathematical order of operations on a forum admin site.

I doubt if many students pay attention cause math is forced, so unless they have strict parents, they don't care.

Note, with myself, I'm trying hard cause I badly want to learn it.