48÷2(9+3) = ???

[frankenbeemer]

Its 288 asked my AP Calculus teacher today...

damn it

Just asked 3 people with PhDs in Mechanical Engineering to solve the following equation:

"48/2(9+3) = x"

All 3 answered "x = 288".

This ends the discussion for me right here. Kthxbye

Someone please close this retarded thread

QFT

Ive consulted with a high school drop out and he confirms the answer is 288. This must mean the answer is really 2.

Good one.

According to both my calc 3 instructor and classmates, and my electrical engineering teacher the answer is 288. I am sticking with that goodbye thread.

my calculator says 288 but i say its 2. I don't think my calculator ever got an A in differential equations.

Mechanical Engineer. I'm smarter than my calculator.

2(9+3) is treated as ONE, such that the parenthesis is addressed first followed by the distributive property.

Please, don't rewrite the laws of math.

Did you even read this thread? Your BSME has already been trumped by 3 Phd's, not that that makes any difference in a proof.


Does no one above, besides mightywhitey know appeal to authority is a logical fallacy?

http://www.logicalfallacies.info/relevance/appeals/appeal-to-authority/

[mrsleeve]

this thread is making me :rofl:

[frankenbeemer]

^^^^^^^^^^^^

Please provide me a list of all the projects and products you have been involved with even as an intern. So I can keep that list handy and reference it as needed to ascertain danger to life or limb of my self or my family and frineds from something you have worked on.

thank you
signed

Concerned Citizen ;)

(I may not have a fancy degree but I too am smarter than my calculator.)

:up:

[86325LSD]

ther is differnce between / and ÷ in terms of thought process. One consideration i similar to that of programming code. No order implied (/) while the ÷ implies that each side should be considered individually. Mathematica will return these.



A real engineer would consider what an appropriatwe anwser is and reason. IF this were a calculation of your mom's lawnmowers power than 2 would be a reasonable and very appropriate interpretation. If its the rear wheel of a euro s50 in a e30 than 288 may be more appropriate. I vote 2 based upon the thought process that if your helping your 6 year old with this problem in math class, he wont fail his course learning his order of operations. Otherwise weve grown past the use of the ÷. Use a / for fractional representation and a ( ----- , horizonatal line) for division.

[86325LSD]

or even



just know the appropriate solution desired.

:ohsnap:

[ELONZOOOO]

Someone needs to kill this thread with fire

[5Toes]

Raxe. Why?

[frankenbeemer]

Raxe. Why?

Because he's got talent.

[5Toes]

I should start math threads guess?

I have one in mind

[86325LSD]

Because he's got talent.

I assume you mean me. Thanks.

[Conki]

or even



just know the appropriate solution desired.

:ohsnap:

In both of your examples you put parentheses around the 2(9+3) to get the answer '2'. THAT makes it one entity, not the lack of asterisk.
In certain programming languages or calculators the / and ÷ might mean different operations, but in plain math they are intercheangable. So is the lack of operator and the asterisk.
This is why you refer to the manual so you can use your aide properly.

[frankenbeemer]

I assume you mean me. Thanks.

No. You're doing ok.

[86325LSD]

This is an asterik --> *

So I'm confused, where is that? The multiplication is not whats in question here. You mean division sign and fraction sign. One is division the other is fraction. Its just that simple. Just think before you give an answer is the most important thing. If your teaching a 6 year old who is doing this problem--- 48÷2(9+3) in his math class. It is 2. Other wise he would see

48
--- (9 + 3)
2


48 /
/ ( 9+3)
/ 3

to end up with 288 if this is appropriate written math.

Otherwise every code language is slightly unique from calcualators to python to MatLab and Mathamatica. You need to know how to interpret the problem and arrive at a reasonable anwser like an adult and understand both concepts.

[86325LSD]

damn it should look like

48 /
/ (9+3)
/ 3

[86325LSD]

ahh wtf. it looks fine in preview. you know what i mean.it should be a diagonal fractional mark.