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Amnesia10
Legend
Joined: Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:02 am
Posts: 29240
Location: Guantanamo Bay (thanks bobbdobbs)
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+1 Though I never knew it was called that. _________________Do concentrate, 007... "You are gifted. Mine is bordering on seven seconds." https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTg5MzczNTkhttp://astore.amazon.co.uk/wwwx404couk-21
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:21 am |
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adidan
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 9:43 pm
Posts: 5048
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2
Brackets first then multiplication (inferred in this case). Division is the last thing you ever turn to in calculations IIRC.
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Fogmeister I ventured into Solitude but didn't really do much.
jonbwfc I was behind her in a queue today - but I wouldn't describe it as 'bushy'.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 7:51 am |
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onemac
Doesn't have much of a life
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 10:14 pm
Posts: 1598
Location: Right here...... Right now.......
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The sum is wrong therefore there is no answer - implied or otherwise. However using the rules I was taught at school, calculate the sums within brackets first then separate by factors and all instances outwith brackets should be multiplied. This would result in the answer 2 and be correct if part of any exam.
Al
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Eternally optimistic in a 'glass half empty' sort of way....
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 8:32 am |
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Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm
Posts: 6580
Location: Getting there
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Surely using bodmas the correct answer is 288.
9 + 3 = 12
48 / 2 = 24
12 * 24 = 288
However, a question as ambiguous as this would never appear on an exam.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:16 pm |
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timark_uk
Moderator
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:11 pm
Posts: 12143
Location: Belfast
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Ha. Going by all the responses after your quoted one above, you FAIL harder than I do. (8+p Mark
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:33 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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I'm really surprised that so many people fail to put the implied multiplication before the division. Those of you that get 288, how would you read: 1 ÷ 2x where x = pi* ? If someone read out "one over two pi" it would never even occur to me that they meant a half pi, because to me the pi is clearly underneath  Are people seriously saying that they would misunderstand unless it was written with brackets, thus: 1 / (2x) ? Actually, a GCSE maffs exam is about the only place you'd ever find such a badly written question  In "real life" you would know where the sum came from, and it would be obvious from the context what you actually meant. * FFS I can't believe that pi is banned on this forum while the evil divide sign is allowed. Seriously; try posting some pi and it throws an SQL error  _________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:39 pm |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am
Posts: 6146
Location: Middle Earth
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Google search provides this as a result. (48 ÷ 2) * (9 + 3) = 288.
Wolfram Alpha produces 288.
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If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 1:53 pm |
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cloaked_wolf
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 10022
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Nope. I already knew the answer. Just wanted to see what others put. Having said that, the debate on the other forum is much funnier. _________________ He fights for the users.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:00 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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Several scientific calculators say it's 2. Mathway says it's 2. The critical thing is whether the multiplication is implied or not:   vive la différence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFKGbU6ARQg_________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
Last edited by JJW009 on Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:05 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:03 pm |
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cloaked_wolf
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 10022
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I would read that as 1/2x and not as x/2 _________________He fights for the users.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:04 pm |
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JJW009
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 6:58 pm
Posts: 8767
Location: behind the sofa
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exactly, but I'm guessing you get 2 as the answer to the question you posted? _________________jonbwfc's law: "In any forum thread someone will, no matter what the subject, mention Firefly." When you're feeling too silly for x404, youRwired.net
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:06 pm |
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cloaked_wolf
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 10022
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If you google it, you'll find the question is an internet meme, and designed to troll forums (which I discovered only today).
The first time I did this, I just did it the way I would normally do it, and got 2.
The second time around, I used BODMAS and got 288.
As above, it's a deliberately poorly written question, and as JW009 pointed out, if you replace (9+3) with y, you don't calculate 48y/2, you would calculate it as 48/2y.
_________________He fights for the users.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:18 pm |
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Fogmeister
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 7:35 pm
Posts: 6580
Location: Getting there
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I suppose I would actually calculate it as "48 over (2 times (9 plus 3))" ie 2 if it was a algebraic formula but the fact the it is entirely numeric lead me to use the other method. It is a very poorly written formula though.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:47 pm |
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belchingmatt
I haven't seen my friends in so long
Joined: Fri May 15, 2009 3:16 am
Posts: 6146
Location: Middle Earth
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3/3=1
2/2=1
1/1=1
0/0=1
Zero is a number, you can divide by zero. [/troll]
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If one is diving so close to the limits that +/- 1% will make a difference then the error has already been made.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 3:18 pm |
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cloaked_wolf
What's a life?
Joined: Thu Apr 23, 2009 8:46 pm
Posts: 10022
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Following your method: 0x1=0 0x2=0 Hence 0x1=0x2 Divide by 0 to get (0/0)x1=(0x)x2 Cancel out the (0/0) to get 1=2. _________________He fights for the users.
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| Mon Apr 25, 2011 4:30 pm |
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