[quote]thogue wrote:
Yup, its ambiguous, there is no right answer
If you put 6/2(1+2) into a calculator, half the time it will give you 9, and half the time it will give you 1.
wait…[/quote]
If standard convention does not provide for “multiplicaton by juxtaposition” to have a higher precedence, then the right answer is “9”. But the fact that one particular calculator always gives you “9” would not in and of itself prove that the right answer according to standard convention is “9”. Granted, if different models of calculators from unrelated reputable companies all give you “9” without having a multiplication symbol entered after the first ‘2’: then that might be strong circumstantial evidence that the claimed convention does not exist; or is not solidly standard; or is on the way to being changed if it ever really existed.
Yeah, but adding the asterisk changes it… It’s written out in a deliberately ambiguous way, do we interpret it as 6/[2(1+2)] = 1, or (6/2)(1+2) = 9?
It’s true though, that were we dealing strictly with variables as earlier posters have pointed out, and were it written with the operators as originally presented, say A/B(x+y), the B(x+y) would be treated as the entire denominator.[/quote]
[quote]thogue wrote:
Yup, its ambiguous, there is no right answer
If you put 6/2(1+2) into a calculator, half the time it will give you 9, and half the time it will give you 1.
wait…[/quote]
If standard convention does not provide for “multiplicaton by juxtaposition” to have a higher precedence, then the right answer is “9”. But the fact that one particular calculator always gives you “9” would not in and of itself prove that the right answer according to standard convention is “9”. Granted, if different models of calculators from unrelated reputable companies all give you “9”: that might be strong circumstantial evidence that the claimed convention does not exist; or is not solidly standard; or is on the way to being changed if it ever really existed.[/quote]
Why don’t you try it? Find a calculator that gives a different answer.
[quote]thogue wrote:
Yup, its ambiguous, there is no right answer
If you put 6/2(1+2) into a calculator, half the time it will give you 9, and half the time it will give you 1.
wait…[/quote]
If standard convention does not provide for “multiplicaton by juxtaposition” to have a higher precedence, then the right answer is “9”. But the fact that one particular calculator always gives you “9” would not in and of itself prove that the right answer according to standard convention is “9”. Granted, if different models of calculators from unrelated reputable companies all give you “9”: that might be strong circumstantial evidence that the claimed convention does not exist; or is not solidly standard; or is on the way to being changed if it ever really existed.[/quote]
Why don’t you try it? Find a calculator that gives a different answer.
[/quote]
I am not inclined to find multiple calculators and test them all. But I did try it on one calculator. I typed –
6
divided by sign
2
(
1
+
2
)
=
– and I got “2” as the answer. The reason why I got “2” is because this calculator does not recognize multiplication by juxtaposition at all: so when I entered the ‘(’ it threw away the first ‘2’, ultimately leaving 6/(1+2)=2 .
OBoile is a fucking idiot. Sorry, must be said. YOU CANNOT replace a number with a letter. NO, they do not mean the same thing. Can’t believe a “math person” would say such an idiotic thing. Ex. how do you note a -ve letter? LOL.
Secondly, the question itself is NOT ambiguous. You’re all making it ambiguous because you don’t know how to properly solve it and try to justify your answer by making it ambiguous.
AS WRITTEN: 6/2(1+2), NOT 6
-----
2(1+2)
(Following mathematical rules…)
6/2(1+2)
6/2(3) ((1+2)PARENTHESIS first)
3(3) ((6/2)DIVISION next because it occurs before multiplication in this instance; left to right)
9 (MULTIPLICATION)
very, very simple. you can try to argue it any which way but if you follow the rules of math and do not change the variables to fucking letters (WHY would you do that in any math problem that doesn’t require it??)) or change THE WAY THE QUESTION WAS WRITTEN, you’ll get the correct answer like many have already stated.
I agree with you reading if left to right and giving division and multiplication the same precedence, but if he’s being taught any one of those silly acronyms, that’s the answer he should be getting: 1
He could also try several–not just one–CAS and input the problem as is to see what the answer is calculated; that should settle the discussion over “convention.”
OP,
Is this an odd numbered problem? Did you see the back of the book?
[quote]bob_sander87 wrote:
Hmm lets think back to elementary school. Do we all remember BEDMAS?
B (Brackets) comes first
Therefore you multiply 2 by the contents of the brackets (3). The equation turns into 6/6 right away.
That’s how I look at it.[/quote]
But that doesn’t mean you HAVE to multiply by two- multiplication and division are equal in priority. It’s an ambiguous problem because it’s impossible to tell as written whether the brackets are in the numerator or denominator. That’s it. There are two possible answers. So, can everyone just leave this alone and let it die?