Poll: 6÷2(1+2)

x Darkchild · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:12

Bracket's out. 1 + 2 = 3

6 ÷ 2 x 3

Divide. 6 ÷ 2 = 3

3 x 3

Multiply.

3 x 3 = 9

Their is never 2 answers, you have to follow the BODMAS rule when using brackets, therefore the answer will always be 9!

Just incase somebody hasn't posted and cleared this up already!

gambitt · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:18

FoxEye said:
A number very close to zero is not zero as others have said. x/0 *is* meaningless.

As I've said, it's too complicated to explain to kids in school so they just skip over it. Of course it's impossible in its basic form of "I want to work out 1/0 please" but the fact is the concept of infinity opens up a world into fascinating theories and applications as well as explanations for many things in our universe.

Simply dismissing it as "meaningless" is utterly ignorant.

I don't want to go far off topic but I wanted to demonstrate that my point of looking at things through more that one perspective is valid.

FoxEye said:
And I suspect you're trolling anyhow. Or attempting to discredit anyone giving the right answer but lacking a math degree, because you have a math degree.

Ah yes the classic OcUK go to move.. "errr does not compute....errr... YOU'RE TROLLING!"

mufc802 · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:27

The question says 6/2(1+2)...

So you do the brackets which makes 6/2(3). Now 6 times by 3 is 18. You are now left with 18/2 which is 9.

dowie · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvlhJ64ID9Q

plasmahal · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:31

Rroff said:
Where in the equation does it tell you to do 2 times 3 on its own? the only bit thats indicated out of order is the 1+2.

I refer you to my earlier post, as it's a fraction, you have to resolve the bottom half first before dividing by 6.

Anyway you quoted 2 times 3, so your half way there to resolving the bottom half of the equation.

Also, as some people have already pointed out, where does it say 'TIMES' 2 by 3?

We have all assumed that part, have we not!!!!

semi-pro waster · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:32

mufc802 said:
The question says 6/2(1+2)...

So you do the brackets which makes 6/2(3). Now 6 times by 3 is 18. You are now left with 18/2 which is 9.

That's a somewhat different solution to most to reach 9. The more usual appeared to be:
6/2(1+2)
(6/2)(3)
(3)(3)
9

Or for the 1 folks:
6/2(1+2)
6/(2(3))
6/6
1

It's quite something to see the ingenuity with which we've variously managed to interpret a question.

mufc802 · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:35

semi-pro waster said:
That's a somewhat different solution to most to reach 9. The more usual appeared to be:
6/2(1+2)
(6/2)(3)
(3)(3)
9

Or for the 1 folks:
6/2(1+2)
6/(2(3))
6/6
1

Yeah it was meant to be another method in-case you didn't have easy numbers like 6 and 2 that can divide into itself. If it was 9/2(1+2) then you can't do 9/2 as a whole number, but you could do 9/2(3) which is 27/2 which can't be simplified any more.

plasmahal · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:37

x Darkchild said:
Bracket's out. 1 + 2 = 3

6 ÷ 2 x 3

Divide. 6 ÷ 2 = 3

3 x 3

Multiply.

3 x 3 = 9

Their is never 2 answers, you have to follow the BODMAS rule when using brackets, therefore the answer will always be 9!

Just incase somebody hasn't posted and cleared this up already!

Bracket's out. 1 + 2 = 3

6
____
2 x 3

Resolve bottom half of equation first,

So 2 x 3 = 6

So

6
____
6

Equals 1

Their is SOMETIMES 2 answers to a problem, you may have to follow the BODMAS rule OR OTHER RULES, therefore the answer won't always be 9!

Just incase somebody hasn't posted and cleared this up already!

dowie · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:38

Even little kids understand that its 9....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQkU1mk3Jw&feature=related

plasmahal · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:40

dowie said:
Even little kids understand that its 9....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDQkU1mk3Jw&feature=related

That's half the problem, it's the kids that think it can only be 9 and not both!!!!!

FoxEye · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:42

What other rules are you following plasmahal?

If you only follow convention some of the time, when don't you follow it?

ordinaryjoe · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:44

plasmahal said:
That's half the problem, it's the kids that think it can only be 9 and not both!!!!!

it can't be 1... That doesn't make me ignorant though

mufc802 · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:44

plasmahal said:
Bracket's out. 1 + 2 = 3

6
____
2 x 3

Stop.

6/2(1+2) does not equal that. How did you come about getting the three to times by the 2 but not the 6? It should be:

6
_ * 3 which is actually 9 not 1.
2

plasmahal · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:49

mufc802 said:
Stop.

6/2(1+2) does not equal that. How did you come about getting the three to times by the 2 but not the 6? It should be:

6
_ * 3 which is actually 9 not 1.
2

LOL, please read the thread carefully and inwardly digest what is being said... :rolleyes:

dowie · 29 Apr 2011 at 19:58

plasmahal said:
That's half the problem, it's the kids that think it can only be 9 and not both!!!!!

They think its 9 because by convention it is 9

we introduce these conventions in order to remove ambiguity

by having an order of operations you remove the need to use extra parenthesis

the answer is only 1 if you chose to ignore convention and assume that the question is either asking something it isn't or is ambiguous with a possible answer of 1 or 9. With convention the ambiguity is removed and the answer is 9.

plasmahal · 29 Apr 2011 at 20:00

dowie said:
They think its 9 because by convention it is 9

we introduce these conventions in order to remove ambiguity

by having an order of operations you remove the need to use extra parenthesis

the answer is only 1 if you chose to ignore convention and assume that the question is either asking something it isn't or is ambiguous with a possible answer of 1 or 9. With convention the ambiguity is removed and the answer is 9.

Dowie,

That's best and most sensible response yet, well done.

It's a fair point well put.

Vonhelmet · 29 Apr 2011 at 20:08

FoxEye said:
A number very close to zero is not zero as others have said. x/0 *is* meaningless.

And I suspect you're trolling anyhow. Or attempting to discredit anyone giving the right answer but lacking a math degree, because you have a math degree.

So, is 0.99r equal to 1 or not?

Anyway. A number divided by 0 is infinity, which you can show by calculating a/x as x->0.

FoxEye · 29 Apr 2011 at 20:12

vonhelmet said:
So, is 0.99r equal to 1 or not?

.9r is another way of writing 1. The difficulty there is conceptualising what .9r means. It's not "a number very close to 1" it's actually 1. And because of that it behaves like 1.

gambitt · 29 Apr 2011 at 20:13

vonhelmet said:
So, is 0.99r equal to 1 or not?

Prepare for another 20 pages

Vonhelmet · 29 Apr 2011 at 20:14

FoxEye said:
.9r is another way of writing 1. The difficulty there is conceptualising what .9r means. It's not "a number very close to 1" it's actually 1. And because of that it behaves like 1.

And yet you say that 0.0r1 is not equal to 0?

Poll: 6÷2(1+2)

6/2(1+2) = ?

9

1