ReconRat Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 **squeee** STEP AWAY FROM THE CALCULATOR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mojocho Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Man, this is a great party question to get people going crazy and socializing and laughing their asses off! I wish we all were in a room talking about this because I would be laughing so hard.Looks like others online are having the same argument. humph...i think i'd prefer hookers and beer. but hey, that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 (edited) Since different types of calculators will give different answers, fix it first.from that http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops2.htmThe general consensus among math people is that "multiplication by juxtaposition" (that is, multiplying by just putting things next to each other, rather than using the "×" sign) indicates that the juxtaposed values must be multiplied together before processing other operations.sooo48/(2(9+3))calculate thatedit: and honestly, I always did that with my calculator if that is what I intended.Since it didn't take long to realize the calculator might give the wrong answer. Edited April 12, 2011 by ReconRat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gen3flygirl Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 You people make my head hurt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chevysoldier Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 48÷2(9+3)=x48÷2*12=x (the parenthesis aren't needed anymore so * is put into place)24*12=x288=x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 (48/2)*(9+3) implies an operand that wasn't there(48/2)*(9+3) is the same as (48÷2)(9+3)the issue is that 48÷2(9+3) has two answersedit: two possible answers when using calculatorsI tend to believe only one answer when using a pencil2(9+3) literally means 2 times the quantity 9 plus 3, right? The multiplication operand is always implied when there's a coefficient in front of a parenthetical. FYI.The answer is 288 until you're blue in the face. Nothing is changing it. Since different types of calculators will give different answers, fix it first.from that http://www.purplemath.com/modules/orderops2.htmsooo48/(2(9+3))calculate thatedit: and honestly, I always did that with my calculator if that is what I intended.Since it didn't take long to realize the calculator might give the wrong answer. Again, you're creating a new equation by adding parentheses. The problem as presented is 288. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casper Posted April 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 One of the CR folks emailed a math professor at Otterbein:Lance,You start from the left when there are operations of the same rank (division, multiplication). Things in parentheses are completed before they are combined. So it would be 48/2 = 24 first. Then 24*(9+3) = 24*12 = 288 which in itself was one of my favorite numbers growing up. Since 144 is called one gross, then 288 is two gross which we would twist as too gross. So we would call someone that was irritating us a 288.If you feed "=48/2*(9+3)" into Excel you get 288 also.I hope the world is treating you well. All is fine with moi.Best,---Professor, Mathematical SciencesOtterbein University, Towers Hall 139, 1 Grove StWesterville OH 43081-2006 USAI removed the name for obvious reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likwid Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 They couldn't have emailed a professor at a real school?hyuck hyuck hyuck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 yeah, I see 288. But if the answer was meant to be two, then the equation was written wrong for a calculator. It has two answers. Different calculators will give one or the other answer. It's best avoided by clearly defining an equation that all of the calculators can consistently handle.And I still say with a pencil the answer is two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienpi Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 I think we need a poll! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReconRat Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Let me try again. I taught math classes. The students had calculators. If they weren't careful, they could input the same equation, and different calculators would give different answers. I taught them to clearly define their equations, so that this would not happen. You're not listening, heheh... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 They couldn't have emailed a professor at a real school?hyuck hyuck hyuckMeh I just emailed the math department at MIT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alienpi Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 This calculator says 288. http://www.ecalc.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shittygsxr Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Meh I just emailed the math department at MIT. Jeremi I just got your email and the answer is 288 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fusion Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Jeremi I just got your email and the answer is 288You notice someone forgot to lock their computer while emptying their trash tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disclaimer Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Lance,You start from the left when there are operations of the same rank (division, multiplication). Things in parentheses are completed before they are combined. So it would be 48/2 = 24 first. Then 24*(9+3) = 24*12 = 288 which in itself was one of my favorite numbers growing up. Since 144 is called one gross, then 288 is two gross which we would twist as too gross. So we would call someone that was irritating us a 288.If you feed "=48/2*(9+3)" into Excel you get 288 also.I hope the world is treating you well. All is fine with moi.Best,---Professor, Mathematical SciencesOtterbein University, Towers Hall 139, 1 Grove StWesterville OH 43081-2006 USA Bwhahaha, nerd jokes.Kinda like ya'll are a bunch of third derivatives of the position function -- s''' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buildit Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 rephrase the question so the what is in the parentheses is already solved and then remove the parentheses --> What is 48 / 2 X 12So the answer is 288 not 2.I still think correct notation should be used to remove the chance for this error.(48/2)12 makes more sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RVTPilot Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 If Stephen Hawking could move, he would fap to this thread. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 48÷2(9+3)=?This caused quite a stir on another site, so I figured I'd share it on here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obesityrules Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 when i first looked at the equation i read it as 48 over 2(9+3), so i am in the 2 crowd. Looks like we are winning the phys org poll and yahoo answers:Distributive property of multiplication. Early Algebra.The distributive property of multiplication CLEARLY states that the 2(9+3) is an entire term and CANNOT be broken up. 2(9+3) follows the distributive property which can be rewritten as (2*9+2*3). Let me repeat the 2 outside of the parenthesis follows the distributive property of multiplication and must be factored and simplified before performing any other operations on it.So this can be rewritten as:48 / (2*9 + 2*3)Which leaves us with48 / 24 = 2Answer = 2.Lastly for those using Google or any other online calculator. These do not understand many theorems or properties so you must explicitly explain what you mean. There is a difference between 48 / 2 *(9+3) and 48 / 2(9+3). The first notation reads 48 / 2 * 1(9+3) while the second reads 48 / (2*9+2*3). Be very careful with your signs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shittygsxr Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 You notice someone forgot to lock their computer while emptying their trash tonight? Sometimes I solve really complicated equations on the chalkboards in the classrooms at night after everybody leaves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaNick Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Jeremi I just got your email and the answer is 288 witty.If Stephen Hawking could move, he would fap to this thread.Sometimes I solve really complicated equations on the chalkboards in the classrooms at night after everybody leavesGoodwill Hunting, is that you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Sometimes I solve really complicated equations on the chalkboards in the classrooms at night after everybody leaveshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJBxLL8YkTI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NinjaNick Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Holy shit JON S, that was a funny video! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonS Posted April 12, 2011 Report Share Posted April 12, 2011 Holy shit JON S, that was a funny video! F you ... I blame shitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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