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48÷2(9+3)=?


Casper

48÷2(9+3)=?  

170 members have voted

  1. 1. 48÷2(9+3)=?

    • 2
      82
    • 288
      88


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so what your saying is we need to know in what aspect or sense is behind the math problem. or maybe units, then we can decide what answer is correct.

Yes, if we had any clue what the equation was for, we could easily see which one was right or wrong. Although people still make errors of 10 to 100 magnitude with calculators and not catch it. Stupid decimal places...

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Yes, if we had any clue what the equation was for, we could easily see which one was right or wrong. Although people still make errors of 10 to 100 magnitude with calculators and not catch it. Stupid decimal places...

or we could just follow the order of operations and get the correct answer of 288 :rolleyes:

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Ummm look at the poll. By your logic 288 should be correct because more people on almost every poll I have seen agree that it is 288.

Yea I am a CS&E major

This poll is a bit skewed, suspect, and not really an appropriate measure.

If we had a larger random sample to work with, then I'd be more inclined to agree with you.

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Well it is all I have. Do you have evidence that the common belief is 2?

No more than you have evidence it's 288. That's not the point though, if we really wanted to settle this, we'd need to poll a sizable portion of the US. Give them the problem without an answer, let them solve it and see where we end up.

You're Facebook poll is a bit more conclusive, account for margins of error and such, but is such a small sample it doesn't matter. The poll here is just too close to really have a clear answer.

Odds are if we do get a large enough sample, we'll still have an inconclusive answer, you'll still say it's 288 and I'll still say it's 2.

I'm not saying that you might not be correct, I'm just saying by and large in situations like this there's a "best" answer that's often dictated by society and it is arbitrary. 288 is a valid and correct answer, but it isn't the best.

We could send the formula to the ACT and SAT boards and see what answer they give us. Those tests influence curriculum and teachers everywhere, so their "right" answer would be an authority.

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From our own little poll here:

The odds of "2" being right: 47.06%

The odds of "2" being wrong: 52.94%

The odds of "288" being right: 52.94%

The odds of "288" being wrong: 47.06%

Results split near 50%-50% are nearly worthless.

It only points out that most everyone is clueless and guessing, in general.

Just like most political elections.

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