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48÷2(9+3) = ?

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Original post by Jonty99
Given that there is disagreement amongst A Level and Degree Maths students, I'm not sure why they would do that.


good point. it's hard to tell what people know about maths i suppose haha.
sad stuff though that this much debate could arise over such a small insignificant problem haha XD

besides i'd more likely side with degree maths students than A-level, obviously haha. though if degree-level maths students start arguing i don't know what i'll think haha.

they probably are trying to procrastinate like me.
Reply 501
Avatar for py0alb
py0alb
3
Original post by CameraGirl
problem being anyone can post on this forum be it an 8 year old kid who is guessing, or a 24 year old maths PhD student.

the stubborn students who have not taken maths further than GCSE should listen to those who have A-level / degree qualifications. but they don't :P


Thats the absolute best thing about TSR. It's all about the merits of the arguments, rather than the alleged qualifications of the individuals. If you are a 24 year old maths PhD student and you can't beat an 8 year old in a debate about maths without having to resort to saying "look, I'm a maths PhD student." then there's something wrong with you.
Original post by DFranklin
I think the more interesting test would be correlation between IQ (or maths level: GCSE/A-level/degree/post-grad) and those who think the answer is "obvious", (which ever answer that is).


i think someone needs to get a life:rolleyes:
Original post by CameraGirl
do you have any maths qualifications? just out of interest :smile:
yes it confuses things, but fractions dont have to imply anything. i have seen some nasty nasty fractions i've had to work out, with 7 different letters all with coefficients and some exponentials and some indices, and that's just the numerator.

there are no rules to fractions, but the 2 definitely multiplies what's in the brackets. there would HAVE to be brackets elsewhere for it to mean something else. i don't know how to stress it any more haha. i am currently revising maths for my second year undergraduate masters degree maths exam... :'(


I have an a* in maths and an a in further maths and i am studying it at university next year.

what i mean by implying brackets is that with a fraction that is
x+5/x-6 with a fraction equals (x+5)/(x-6)
however with a division symbol
x+5÷x-6 does not equal (x+5)/(x-6)
it equals x + (5/x) - 6

there is difference.
Original post by CameraGirl
good point. it's hard to tell what people know about maths i suppose haha.
sad stuff though that this much debate could arise over such a small insignificant problem haha XD

besides i'd more likely side with degree maths students than A-level, obviously haha. though if degree-level maths students start arguing i don't know what i'll think haha.

they probably are trying to procrastinate like me.


I'm fairly sure degree-level maths students have disagreed about this.

I don't have a degree, but plenty in this thread have disagreed (including me) with your notion that the 2 is automatically grouped with the (9+3) rather than with the 48.
Original post by blue_shift86
i think someone needs to get a life:rolleyes:
Bless.
Original post by CameraGirl
good point. it's hard to tell what people know about maths i suppose haha.
sad stuff though that this much debate could arise over such a small insignificant problem haha XD

besides i'd more likely side with degree maths students than A-level, obviously haha. though if degree-level maths students start arguing i don't know what i'll think haha.

they probably are trying to procrastinate like me.


I'm by no means commited to my position on this matter. I know you are of higher education and am willing to be convinced it's just it needs to be clearer.
Lol at 445 replies
Original post by py0alb
Thats the absolute best thing about TSR. It's all about the merits of the arguments, rather than the alleged qualifications of the individuals. If you are a 24 year old maths PhD student and you can't beat an 8 year old in a debate about maths without having to resort to saying "look, I'm a maths PhD student." then there's something wrong with you.


In this case the metaphorical "8 year old" is shutting his eyes, putting his hands over his ears and shouting, "NA NA NA I WAS TAUGHT BY MUM SHES RIGHT NA NA", or something to that effect. Hardly the fault of the "PhD".
Original post by connor ellis
I have an a* in maths and an a in further maths and i am studying it at university next year.

what i mean by implying brackets is that with a fraction that is
x+5/x-6 with a fraction equals (x+5)/(x-6)
however with a division symbol
x+5÷x-6 does not equal (x+5)/(x-6)
it equals x + (5/x) - 6

there is difference.



this is true, but in this case there are some brackets, and the 2 is with the brackets, though i can see the confusion and why people think it could be 288. but the amount of maths problems i've seen written out, it just would be absolutely stupid to write it that way if it was supposed to be (48/2)(9+3).

it's a boring argument really haha. boils down to the fact that questions need to be written better and brackets used more extensively :P

i wish division signs were no longer used haha :smile:

also congrats on the grades, that's great :biggrin: and good luck at uni! :smile:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
This is the most ridiculous thread I have seen in a long time!!!!!



Whoever disagrees with 2 as the answer needs to start school all over again from Pre-GCSE years.
Original post by connor ellis
I'm by no means commited to my position on this matter. I know you are of higher education and am willing to be convinced it's just it needs to be clearer.


haha, i'm not saying i'm some kind of maths god, i blinkin' hate the subject! but i have no choice but to study it. i won't say there's no chance i'm wrong, of course, as that would be assuming I'm never wrong and somehow have something over everyone else on here, but i don't. i just think that given how many problems i've solved that may have been written strangely or unusually, it wouldn't have been written with the 2 by the brackets unless meant to be with that. if someone had written it with the intent for the 2 to go with the 48, then they would have noticed that it looked ambiguous and added brackets around 48/2.

but yeah it does need to be clearer for a 100% definite answer. but i'm 95% sure i'm right :wink:
Reply 512
Avatar for alpesh m
alpesh m
Yeah I'm going with two as well
Original post by MathematicsKiller
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
This is the most ridiculous thread I have seen in a long time!!!!!



Whoever disagrees with 2 as the answer needs to start school all over again from Pre-GCSE years.


i can't rate any more posts today. this is a sad time. imaginary +ve rep to you :P
Original post by CameraGirl
this is true, but in this case there are some brackets, and the 2 is with the brackets, though i can see the confusion and why people think it could be 288. but the amount of maths problems i've seen written out, it just would be absolutely stupid to write it that way if it was supposed to be (48/2)(9+3).

it's a boring argument really haha. boils down to the fact that questions need to be written better and brackets used more extensively :P

i wish division signs were no longer used haha :smile:

also congrats on the grades, that's great :biggrin: and good luck at uni! :smile:


thankss :smile:

the thing is I agree getting 288 looks stupid because i wouldnt usually consider it to be (48/2) its just that due to the confusion due to a lack of brackets and what is a stupid elementary symbol (÷) you should work from left to right and thats where the (48/2) comes from.
Original post by thegodofgod
However, you could also do:

(48 ÷ 2) x (9 + 3)

= 24 x 12

= 288


Didn't you know what the requirements for posting in the maths section is? A*s only. So gtfo. :pierre:
Original post by connor ellis
thankss :smile:

the thing is I agree getting 288 looks stupid because i wouldnt usually consider it to be (48/2) its just that due to the confusion due to a lack of brackets and what is a stupid elementary symbol (÷) you should work from left to right and thats where the (48/2) comes from.


yeaaah i know where you're coming from. but i have honestly given up on working left to write at this stage in life. when i started degree modules it became pointless and more confusing haha. it's got to the stage where i just look at something and it's obvious where things should go and why, which isn't something i adopted until i got to university. but yeah i am soooo against the division sign, i can't stand it. nor do i know how to use one on my keyboard haha. i'm pretty sure i can't. definitely a good thing :P

i wish i had rep left to give today :frown: i hate that there's a limit haha.
this thread is on 4chan as well :confused::confused:

EDIT: and indeed everywhere if you google search it
Reply 518
Avatar for lalilou
lalilou
8
48÷2(9+3)
The fact that there are brackets there means that the 2 is paired up to the (9+3).

Thus, if you were to expand this, it wouldn't be 48 / 2 and then x 12.

Because when you expand this, in actual fact what it is saying is:

48 x (1/2) x (1/12)

In other words, the '(9+3)' bit is in the denominator; not the numerator.

In any case, I wouldn't think they'd write such a thing in an exam paper in that format. They wouldn't use the division sign for a start. They'd use fractions, which would make clearer what they were after :smile:
Vote this up if you think this thread should be closed! :yy:

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