{"id":12306,"date":"2024-07-13T20:06:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T20:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=12306"},"modified":"2024-07-13T20:06:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-13T20:06:49","slug":"discussions-over-a-math-problem-lead-to-controversy-how-to-solve-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/?p=12306","title":{"rendered":"Discussions Over A Math Problem Lead to Controversy How to Solve It"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Viral Math Problem That Stumped the Internet<\/p>\n

The internet often presents conundrums that spark debates, just like the infamous blue and black dress. In 2019, a viral math problem \u2013 8 \u00f7 2(2 + 2) \u2013 posted on Twitter caused widespread debate, not only on Twitter but across social media.<\/p>\n

The Divide Among Editors<\/p>\n

Editors at Popular Mechanics, a lifestyle magazine, found themselves divided over this math problem. In their workplace chat, they debated the correct answer. One group followed the \u201cPEMDAS\u201d rule (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction), solving the equation step by step.<\/p>\n

1\u2022Solve Parentheses: 2 + 2 = 4
\n2\u2022Rewrite Equation: 8 \u00f7 2 \u00d7 4
\n3\u2022Follow Order: 8 \u00f7 2 = 4, then 4 \u00d7 4 = 16<\/p>\n

They concluded that the answer is 16.
\n\"\"
\nAn Alternate Interpretation<\/p>\n

The other half of the editors argued the answer is 1, using a different interpretation of PEMDAS. They treated the sum within the parentheses as if it were still in parentheses:<\/p>\n

1\u2022Solve Parentheses: 2 + 2 = 4
\n2\u2022Rewrite Equation: 8 \u00f7 2(4)
\n3\u2022Interpret as Multiplication: 8 \u00f7 (2 \u00d7 4) = 8 \u00f7 8 = 1
\nExpert Opinions<\/p>\n

The debate caught the attention of mathematicians and scientists. Mike Breen from the American Mathematical Society said the correct answer, based on order of operations, is 16. However, he acknowledged the equation\u2019s ambiguity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn math, ambiguities exist. Mathematicians aim for precise rules. According to strict order of operations, you get 16, but I wouldn\u2019t fault someone for saying 1,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Physics Professor Rhett Allain from Southeastern Louisiana University added, \u201cThis is about conventions, just like spelling \u2018gray\u2019 or \u2018grey.\u2019 We understand both.\u201d He suggested writing the equation as 8\/(2*(2+2)), which yields 1.
\n\"\"
\nThe Ongoing Debate<\/p>\n

What do you think is the correct answer to the equation? Is it 1 or 16? Let us know your thoughts, and share this with family and friends to see what they think!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Viral Math Problem That Stumped the Internet The internet often presents conundrums that spark debates, just like the infamous blue and black dress. In 2019, a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12309,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12306","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12306","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12306"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12306\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12310,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12306\/revisions\/12310"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12309"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12306"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12306"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ourtimenew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12306"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}