Yahoo Finance What’s the answer to this viral maths question the internet can’t solve?
It’s what every maths teacher dreams of: the entire internet debating a maths question.
But now, that dream has turned into reality, with Twitter tying itself in knots over the correct answer to this prickly question.
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Can you answer it?
8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ?
What’s especially special about this particular equation is that it seems so simple to all who answer it.
oomfies solve this pic.twitter.com/0RO5zTJjKk
— em ♥︎ (@pjmdolI) July 28, 2019
I’m not the smartest but this is definitely 16
— Derrick D.T Tindal (@TindalIsland) July 30, 2019
It’s 1. Blowing my mind how people are really debating this it’s fucking 3rd grade math
— jon vag (@yanni_v14) July 30, 2019
IM SICK OF YALL pic.twitter.com/lCE1F1qg7b
— como siempre (@skylarrousse) July 30, 2019
It’s fucking 1, and society is doomed based on the answers above🤦🏼♂️
— 🍺HereHoldMyBeer🍺ANDINFANTROOPENPIN (@flyaway_k) August 1, 2019
But then how can the different answers be explained?
Most answers are either 1 or 16, and that comes down to the order of operations.
So, those who answer 16 believe that in maths questions, division and multiplication must be done first. That means that the question becomes 4 x4 = 16.
However, those who answer 1 believe that the question in the brackets must always be answered first. That means that the question becomes 8 ÷ 8 = 1.
To make matters more complicated, Google’s calculator says the answer is 16.
So who’s right?
Trick question: the notation of the question is incorrect, as one Twitter user pointed out.
“It's either 1 or 16 depending on which mathematician you listen to, because order of operations isn't a hard and fast rule, and math is really just a language,” the Twitter user said.
It's either 1 or 16 depending on which mathematician you listen to, because order of operations isn't a hard and fast rule, and math is really just a language.
And nothing is true. pic.twitter.com/d324s8grlA— 🇳🇴Moon-faced Assassin of Joy🇺🇸 (@NomeDaBarbarian) July 30, 2019
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