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Can You Solve It? Simple Math Equation Goes Viral Since People Can’t Agree On One Answer
When I graduated from university, I thought that was the last time I’d have to do any serious mathematics. Boy, was I wrong. Not only do I still have to help my sisters out with their elementary school maths homework (trust me, it’s surprisingly difficult), but every time I log into Facebook, there’s always some tantalizing equation thrown at me, asking me to solve it.
“Only 1 in 1,000,000 people can solve this simple equation” — we’ve all seen taunts like these, inviting us to dust off our noggins and get our hands dirty with deceptively basic calculations. Well, here’s the newest ‘simple’ equation to go viral on the internet: 8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ? Have you worked out the answer yet? Are you sure? Have you double-checked everything? Did you show your work? Good!
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This equation looks simple enough, right? Right?
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Odds are that you got one of two answers: you either belong to the huge swathe of internet users who got 1 or you’re one of the people whose answer is 16. The internet is raging with amateur and professional mathematicians debating what the real answer is. There may have been some arguments over who’s right. And some shouting. Maybe even some shoving.
Some internet users used calculators to show everyone that the answer was 16. Others referred to their ‘maths degrees’ as an appeal of authority to demonstrate that the answer was 1. Others still took this equation business a bit more seriously than you would expect, and suggested that both answers were correct… depending on what rules you use to figure out the answer.
People couldn’t agree whether the answer to the equation was 1 or 16
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The reason why there’s a lack of consensus regarding this equation is a fairly simple one. Different people are using different rules about what order everything should be calculated in. Whether, after adding 2 and 2 together in the brackets, you should divide 8 by 2 first or multiply what’s in the brackets by 2, instead. This sounds like a basic disagreement, but people got very heated over this.
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Robert Glenn Howard, a social psychologist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, told Slate that such equations are the same as riddles and games, and people get heated over such things because Facebook and other forums are a place for discussion: “People are already primed to engage in pretty intense deliberations, and that can bleed over into the way they play games.”
“Humans have used riddles as a form of play since ancient times,” Howard explained. “And sometimes people can get competitive and wrapped up in it.”
Just in case you were wondering, the answer to the equation is 16. No, wait. Never mind. Yep. Definitely 16. Definitely.
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Some internet users delved way too deep into the rabbit hole that is Mathematics
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— 🇨🇲🇨 🇲🇪🇲🇪🇸 (@cmcmemes) July 28, 2019
What do you think ?
similarly 5 years ago
The problem is that some people are taking BODMAS and PEMDAS etc too literally. Even though Bodmas has Division before Multiplication and PEMDAS does the opposite, multiplication and division are EQUAL and therefore go left to right. Ditto addition and subtraction. Using PEMDAS order of operations, therefore, it is Parentheses, then Exponents, then Multiplication and Division, then Addition and Subtraction. There's no controversy here. There's only right and wrong.
Demonic cow 5 years ago
@Teri Donovan thank you for explaining why I was wrong. I understand what you mean and it makes sense. Now I’ve learned something new, and upon further analyzing my post, I see where I went wrong.
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Ángel Hdz 5 years ago
The answer is food. Food is the answer for everything.
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Bobby's Girl 5 years ago
Me too. And proud of myself I am. Because, math. I remember whining, in my years of school-aged misery, "Why do I need this? I'll never use any of this math in real life!" I stand corrected.
Load More Replies... Alberto 5 years ago
The equation is written incorrectly. Parenthesis are missing. According to the place where you put the missing parenthesis the result is different. (8/2)(2+2) = 16 8/(2[2+2]) = 1
F. H. 5 years ago
No. You don't need a parenthesis for it to be written correctly. Actually (8/2)(2+2) gets the same result as 8/2(2+2), also the same as simply 8*2*4
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Dynein 5 years ago
If anything, this is an argument for the fraction bar. The division sign means there's ambiguity in whether multiplication or division comes first, so people give answers dependng on which convention they use (I learned "dot before line")... And people can't agree because there's no meaning to the equation. In "real" maths, equations are tied to concepts, even if that fact is generally lost in the school setting. There's an underlying logic and the equation merely serves to tie down the specifics. This is the equivalent of a grammar war for, e.g., the sentence "We invited two strippers, Hitler and Stalin." - except with nonsensical words ("Do duggided two libabas, Niriri sen Dalili")- you don't know what it's about, so there's no way to deduce the underlying, "true" meaning and thus the "correct" convention.
John Louis 5 years ago
Here are the two options 1) 8 / 2 (2+2) ---- 8 / 2 (4) ---- 8/2 * 4 -------- 4 * 4 = 16 2) 8/ 2(2+2) ----- 8 / 2(4) 8 / 8 = 1. I was taught to do it the first way. Who or what knows the order of operations so well that they can resolve this issue?
Demonic cow 5 years ago
Sorry my post was wrong, I tried to help. I guess I overestimated my math skill and told you something wrong. Take pizza as an apology? 🍕🍕🍕
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Ed Thrush 5 years ago
The equation is written wrong that is why it is vague to some. It should be 8/(2(2+2)) With the correct parentheses you do the inner to outer and you are good with 1 If you want a different answer then put different order of calculation
Jewels Vern 5 years ago
The problem is improperly presented. Whether you use BODMAS or PEMDAS. multiplication and division are equal priority, so parentheses must be used to clarify the statement, either 8/(2(2+2)) or (8/2)(2+2).
Elizabeth Clothier 5 years ago
All of you are wrong. It's equation equals A Purple Penguin. You're welcome.
Reid-erick Rosberg 5 years ago
8 divided by 2 ok 4-- 4 . the bracet 2plus 2-- ok . 4 so meaning 4 times 4- ok 16 . ore specifc . or . divded 4 dived 4 - equals 1
Hug 5 years ago
It does not matter if you use BODMAS or PEMDAS the multiplication has parenthesis which comes before both division and multiplication. Answer is definitely 1
loading... 5 years ago
The answer is one. 8/2(2+2): according to BODMAS (brackets, orders, division & multiplication, addition & subtraction) you would do (2+2) first which comes out to be 4 therefore 8/2(4). Since the 4 is still in brackets, the operation done to it must come first, so 2x4=8 which leaves us with 8/8, which, of course, is 1.
Thomas Es Thomas 5 years ago
And the answer is: Who the Hell cares? No matter what the answer is (one), writing an equation on the internet randomly is quite boring. Also, you could plug in any random string so long as the result is whole.
Deborah Sweeney 5 years ago
Honestly, this whole thing could be resolved if it was either written as (8/2)(2+2), which would = 16, or 8/[2(2+2)], which would =1.
Laura West 5 years ago
The answer is 1. There's no debating the f*****g answer. This is basic math. The only people who don't think it's 1 are idiots.
Phat Le 5 years ago (edited)
How about putting it in terms that little kids could understand. You have 8 cookies and you have to give it to 2 groups of 4 kids (i.e. each group with 2 boys and 2 girls). i.e. 8 cookies 2 x (2 boys + 2 girls) = 8 kids each gets 1 cookie! 😁
Rissie 5 years ago (edited)
Both can be right depending on the rules you use for solving this. It's not the notation that makes math fun it's what the scribbles represent. Hence, everyone claiming to be certain of the answer and have a math degree is per my definition a liar or spend a lot of time on studying a subject without my passion for it ;)
Peko 5 years ago
That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
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Debra Starr Moon 5 years ago
If you make it a word problem it makes more sense. You have eight apples that you divide among two groups, each group being made up of two boys and two girls. How many apples does each person get? One. Not sixteen.
Niall Mac Iomera 5 years ago
It's because the 'divided by' symbol isn't a real mathematical operant. It's what we use for kids so they don't have to write on multiple lines. It's not a real operant because it forces you to assume bracketing - that's why all these questions depend on its use.
Jason Doakes 5 years ago
This "puzzle" is ambiguous on purpose, it's a clickbait "puzzle", why publicize it?
Caleb Paulson 5 years ago
They shoulda added at least a million more parentheses if they wanted the answer to be clear.
IT The Lockdown Biz 1 year ago
Bodmas and pedmas say the same thing - brackets go first. So 8÷2(2+2) becomes 8÷2(4). Multiplication and division are equal in both bodmas and pedmas. Therefore, we go right to left. So 8÷2(4) = 4(4) = 16. Therefore it is 16. Let me simplify it: 8÷2(2+2) =8÷2(4) =4(4) =16
Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
Microsoft Excel: We found a typo in your formula and tried to correct it
MorningStar Kematch 5 years ago
16....that's because I was told to do the brackets first, then the other equation and then you multiply them because that's what you do when there's no...you know...equation icon thing. Sorry guys. It's early and quite frankly this is the dummy version.
MorningStar Kematch 5 years ago
Okay...BEDMAS...that's what I was taught.
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Mill Hattingh 5 years ago (edited)
Its 1. The rule of parenthesis applies to what is inside plyus next to it. If you want the answer to be 16 you need to add a 1. Iow it would be 8 ÷ 2 × 1 (2+2). The parenthesis is a suggestive multiplication. Not a divisional multiplication. If you replace the conventional divisional sign with /, the 2 doesnt get separated from the parenthesis. In other words it does a multiplication function but is not a multiplication symbol function. In other words, you multiply the 2 with everything that is in the parenthesis. So 8 ÷ ((2 ×2) +(2×2) = 8 ÷ ((4)+(4)) = 8 ÷ 8 = 1. Or 8/ 2 (2+2).
Neon_Sketch_Art 5 years ago
Based on what my math teacher taught me, you always start with (), so, 4. Then, whether multiplication or division, you do whatever is first. So, 4 again. Multiply both since there is no symbol between the number and the (. So my answer is 16.
Alfred Doubleday 5 years ago
All these constant 'trick' math questions just go to show that BODMAS/PEMDAS are sh*tty conventions. The whole point of having a convention is to get everyone on the same page, so that they understand the same thing. But a huge portion of the population either don't know the conventions, don't get them right, or as in this case... using different (but similar) conventions. Math is great because the calculations themselves are either right or wrong. But reading and interpreting the equation is completely different, and is often ambiguous.
Chris Dillman 5 years ago
This is stupid. There is literally 2 answers. No one is correct or incorrect since this equation doesn't have hard rules the way it is written. That's exactly why people are up in arms about it. I love all the maths wizards out there, stating they have degrees and such, and still claiming their 1 answer is the correct one. Insanity. This is what the internet is for, these days. Beefs where beefs shouldn't be, everyone so set on being correct
Peko 5 years ago
There are conventions in Maths, the answer here is definitely 1, by the conventions of Maths. The only way to not get 1 is to be unaware of mathematical conventions.
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Bruce Mills 5 years ago
Clearly, there is another method of teaching than what is described. In both, the P and B have to be COMPLETELY solved first. The number next to the bracket is a part of the bracket equation, that you have to solve first in both methods. Now, perhaps in some parts of the world, or in modern teaching, it isnt done this way. But if you were in my Engineering classes 25 years ago in Australia, and answered other than '1', then you would have been wrong. Are they now teaching 16? Probably not there, because some of those students went on to be professors. But clearly somewhere in the world 16 is being taught.
Mama Panda 5 years ago
Oh for s**t's sake the answer is 16. The equation is not written wrong dumbasses because you didn't write the damn thing. Never heard of BODMAS until I read the comments. You are all making too much out of this, give up already.
Peko 5 years ago
The only way to get 16 is to be mathematically illiterate.
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Hubertus Touché 5 years ago
Hanteren wij 'Hallo, Meneer Van Dalen Wacht Op Antwoord' dan is de uitkomst 1...
AndersM 5 years ago
8-2=6 2+2=4 so it must be 10? But I'm an idiot when it comes to.math anyway.
Bryanna Van Leeuwen 5 years ago
What the heck is BODMAS? I've heard of PEMDAS and we use BEDMAS (brackets, exponents, division/multiplication, addition/subtraction) here in Canada, but what does the O stand for in BODMAS?
GRACE HOPPING 3 years ago
it is 16 because the problem is 8/2 (2+2)=? and 8/2=4, 2+2=4 and 4(4) or 4x4= 16
GRACE HOPPING 3 years ago
Its 16 because the problem is 8/2 (2+2)= ? and 8/2=4, 2+2=4 and 4(4) or 4x4= 16, therefore it is 16
Robin Watkons 4 years ago
The author of the P. E. M/D. A/S. mnemonic device made an effort to remind you that what is MINE is DEAR -- not two different things... and your Aunt Sally is both i.e., your AUNT is SALLY.
Willa june Bonaparte 5 years ago
It's 16. We learned this at the start of sixth grade. The order of operations is Parentheses, Exponents, Division and Multiplication(or vice versa), Addition and Subtraction(or vice versa). Have fun learning!
Philbert Spencer 5 years ago
If you too dumb enough not to know the answer is 1 then you need to go back to where you got your degree(s) and get your money back. 🤦🏽♂️
Robert Pacl 5 years ago
The point to the whole brouhaha is that unless you define your meanings and conditions before you start, you're replicating the Tower of Babel. Math is not an objective science - it doesn't exist outside the human mind. It's a tool to provide invaluable assistance in handling the many physical problems which would otherwise be done by repeated cut and tries. I think it is truly the closest thing to a miracle that mankind ever conceived as possibly the ultimate abstraction.
Larry Walser 5 years ago
PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiplacation/division, subtraction, left to right is what i was taught, so it would be 16.
Mill Hattingh 5 years ago
It's simple. Parenthesis first. Inside and out! There's no multiplication dividing the 2 from the parenthesis. Its a suggestive multiplication. The answer is therefore 1.
Mark Ramsay 5 years ago
It's 1. It shall be and can only be 1. For the simple reason of both how it's written and the basic rules. Notice its 8*space*/*space* [secondary equation = 2(2+2)] as its written. The 2(2+2) has to be done first its a separate equation and joined together, so it must equal 8. When you plug that in it now goes 8 / 8 which must equal 1. Bracketed equations must come first regardless, how any mathematician does it. There are three other ways the answer can only be one. And one is mentioned above where you place substitute for x and y. If you got 16 and you worked say, nasa or a nuclear plant. You would probably be fired immediately as a hazard.
Mark Ramsay 5 years ago
Well I got 1. But Ican see why it can be 16, but from my perspective (bodmas method) its 1. Since people are confusing multiplication and brackets in this equation to be the same thing is entirely incorrect. You use brackets when for things to take priority in the equation, hence 2(2+2). That is a bracketed equation so that must be 8. Since the 8/ part is not apart of the equation (notice the spaces between for the original image on this posr, it has spaces) it should count separately to the brackets. Like in language you count the spaces as part of the equation. This makes substitutions much easier and cancellation more accurate. There is a good example up above.
What am i doing here 5 years ago
Pretty sure it’s sixteen. Am I doing something wrong? I learned this stuff two years ago but I suck at math. 8 divided by 2 is 4, 2 plus 2 is four, and in school I was taught to always multiply the stuff in parenthesis by what wasn’t. How do you get one?
fainasKeturatis 5 years ago
is this again one of the examples when someone is bullying poor uneducated Americans?
AzKhaleesi 5 years ago
The answer is = Purple because aliens don't wear hats. Whew! Now that it's all over ,we can all go back to our actual life problems....
Ikos Joseph 5 years ago
Lol...Riddles. my earlier comment suggest the answer is 1. You had taken your mind aback to 0.
Ikos Joseph 5 years ago
I think clearly that the Answer is 0. Otherwise I had go with 16. As explained, depending on the mathematical rule the examiner is adopting he won't let in these two answers same time in a question with objective answers. We open the bracket first since 8 stands alone. That leaves us with 8/4+4= 0
Lola 5 years ago
The answer is 16 and the rule is very simple. If there are parenthesis, you do that first no matter what. If you are only left with multiplication and division, you always do left to right. Same goes for addition and subtraction - always left to right. If there is a mix of division, subtraction, multiplication or addition and no parenthesis, you follow PEMDAS.
Jack Lambrecht 5 years ago
IT is 16: 2(4) is not one term, think of it as 2 • 4. Now its (8/2) • 4.....
Crusher Skull 5 years ago
The same equation is used in both calc and algebra but solved in a different ways. So the answer you get in calc is wrong in algabra and, the answer you get in algabra is Wrong in calc. So both 1 and 16 are right. At least that's what I think.
Mainza Munsanje 5 years ago
That equation is written correctly and the answer is 16 , all of you trying to justify 1 as the answer should take several seats and ponder how you have those "degrees"
Evil Queen 5 years ago
8/2(2+2) First do the brackets. 2+2=4. Then do 8/2=4. Then multiply. It equals sixteen.
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
2xBracket=Bracket+Bracket. The 2 that is multiplied with the bracket is PART of the bracket. So you have 8/[(2+2)+(2+2)]=1
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Max Alberts 5 years ago
I thought you were supposed to DIVIDE the numbers inside the brackets by the number outside of brackets beside it. I'e been doing it all my life and I'll be sixty-six in three weeks. Now I see why I constantly failed math. Because my eyes freeze simply staring at numbers. Unless I'm weighing my dope.
AnnieLaurie Burke 5 years ago
Srsly, guys, a first-year algebra student could see there is an operator missing!
ANDREA SERRANO MORALES 5 years ago
i need to go to math another 45 whole minutes again for a whole year
Niall Mac Iomera 5 years ago
The answer is 1. Anything depends on assuming brackets based on the inclusion of the 'division' symbol - which is not a true mathematical operant
Lenka Smetanová 5 years ago
parentheses still have priority... so, if we have 4 in parentheses, and we have a number before it, we must add up that parenthesis and get rid of them, after that we can use the first number in that example... so the answer is 1
Leodavinci 5 years ago
Here's the thing. If math is to be considered a "universal language", then rules have to be hard and fast... no ambiguity. No "interpretational" situations like this. No assumptions. Otherwise, everything based on mathematics is based on a house of cards. No wonder they haven't been able to develop a grand unified field theory.
Peko 5 years ago
This isn't something that is ambiguous in the field of mathematics. First, no one would write an equation that way, they'd use a line so there'd be no ambiguity as to what the denominator is. Second, if you group it like 2(2+2) it's taken to mean that the whole thing is the denominator while if you were to write it as 2*(2+2) then it'd be understood as only 2 being the denominator. The only people who are confused by this are those that never went beyond high school maths.
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chi-wei shen 5 years ago
The equation is written in an ambiguous way. The missing multiplication sign before the bracket makes it look like a multiplication denoted by juxtaposition, but this way of multiplication should be used only where symbols (letters) are involved like "2a". Whoever wrote this equation should have used a multiplication sign to make the left-to-right rule obvious, leading to the result 16.
Fire Chalk 5 years ago
Idiots... the correct answer is 1 you have to solve the parentheses and then multiply 2 by 2 plus 2
Uwe Theiss 5 years ago
At equal operations like multiply/divide you do it from left to right.
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Mill Hattingh 5 years ago
Lets make it simple. Add variables. 8 ÷ 2 (a + b) = 8 ÷ (2a + 2b) The 2 belongs to the parenthesis and the rule is parentheses first. Or rewrite the equation as 8 over 2 (2+2) = 1. Ill go further. 8 ÷ 2 ×(2+2) is wrong because you cannot put two symbols next to each other. That changes the equation. If you want the answer to be 16, the equation must be 8 ÷ 2 × 1 (2+2). The invisible one appears. And thats not the equation given. Thats the equation you altered. The answer is 1. Sorry.
Michelle Smiles 5 years ago
We used BEDMAS Brackets,Exponents, Division,Multiplication, Adding and Subtracting. Everyone was taught differently and learn this in Jr high 32 years ago.
Derek Wilson 5 years ago
I don't know how the internet completely blows up when they see something so simple like math equations like these.
Magpie 5 years ago
It just proves mathematics is hard. And you MUST define your methods first if you want to have a conversation using maths as the language.
Peko 5 years ago
These things are already defined, it's just that most people aren't aware of the definitions.
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Lea Springstead 5 years ago
In the way that the equation was originally written, there are two separate equations that need to be reconciled amongst themselves. Do the separate equations and then reconcile them together. PEMDAS is real and the answer is 16. The answer where you get 1 is if you change how the equation is written. Jesus people...
C Hypercube 5 years ago
It's 1. Funny thing is that considering that multiplication is associative and you switch 2x(2+2) to (2+2)x2...indeed, even Windows calculator gives you 4. But it's 1 in the end, because 2(2+2) is like (2x2+2x2).
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Jean Lewis 5 years ago
Parentheses first, then multiplication and division at the same time, left to right: 8÷2(2+2)=8÷2x4=4x4=16 The only way to get the answer 1 is if all the 2s are bracketed in the denominator. 8÷[2(2+2)]=8÷[2x4]=8÷8=1
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
2x(2+2) = (2+2)+(2+2). Here are your brackets. Answer is 1 in both BODMAS, PEMDAS and DUMBAS.
im2reckless2drive@gmail.com 5 years ago
⅓ or 0.33 Pretty sure we start with 2+2=4 No mathematical symbol telling us what we do with the 4 but it is butted up against the 2. So the second part of our equation is 24 8÷24=0.33 or ⅓
Shull GaRett 5 years ago
It all comes down to treatment of the %-sign (division). Some take it as division some takt it as "fractional line" in a fraction. And in math rules around 1920 this was the case that % represented fractional line and the right answer would be 1. And according to current rules its 16
Tiina Lehtineva 5 years ago
Are people also calculating 5-2+2=1?? Because "adding" is before "subtraction"?? I'm serious. I wouldn't, the rule is left to right, but is this really a thing. I understand the multiply and divide calculations can be hard sometimes, I'm not perfect either, but if you say this one is 1 because the pemdas or whatever rule, 5-2+2 should be 1 for you. Is it? I'm curious. I always thought math was the same all over the country, but I never have heart of this pemdas rule. I did graduate with math, but I think we may have used another memory tricks here in Finland...
Greg Shelley 5 years ago
Possibly, or they might thing 5-2+(2)=1, because “brackets first” may be what is confusing them. I’m not sure
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Greg Shelley 5 years ago
This is not the first article I have seen on this and I still don’t get why people think it is 1. Do they think multiplication comes before division, or does a number being in brackets confuse them?
Audrée Adam 5 years ago
It is 16. And here's why : There is an order to things. Here, the parenthesis gets solved first. Then, you need to solve the / and x in ORDER OF APPEARANCE, therefore it's not 1, but 16. 16-5d459d079d1ca.jpg 
Peko 5 years ago
You're still wrong, no matter how many pictures you post.
Load More Replies... David carro 5 years ago
First brackets. Then, between division and multiplication, as they are at the same level of importance, from left to right. Answer is 16
F. H. 5 years ago
It's really not that hard: 8/2(2+2)=12 and 8/(2(2+2))=1. That's really basic math. The problem is, that people use that stupid PEDMAS thing without knowing what they are doing. If you solve the parenthesis first, it doesn't change the order of the rest. Its's: 8/2x4. And then you just solve it from left to right.
similarly 5 years ago
The problem is that some people are taking BODMAS and PEMDAS etc too literally. Even though Bodmas has Division before Multiplication and PEMDAS does the opposite, multiplication and division are EQUAL and therefore go left to right. Ditto addition and subtraction. Using PEMDAS order of operations, therefore, it is Parentheses, then Exponents, then Multiplication and Division, then Addition and Subtraction. There's no controversy here. There's only right and wrong.
Demonic cow 5 years ago
@Teri Donovan thank you for explaining why I was wrong. I understand what you mean and it makes sense. Now I’ve learned something new, and upon further analyzing my post, I see where I went wrong.
Load More Replies... Ángel Hdz 5 years ago
The answer is food. Food is the answer for everything.
Load More Replies... Bobby's Girl 5 years ago
Me too. And proud of myself I am. Because, math. I remember whining, in my years of school-aged misery, "Why do I need this? I'll never use any of this math in real life!" I stand corrected.
Load More Replies... Alberto 5 years ago
The equation is written incorrectly. Parenthesis are missing. According to the place where you put the missing parenthesis the result is different. (8/2)(2+2) = 16 8/(2[2+2]) = 1
F. H. 5 years ago
No. You don't need a parenthesis for it to be written correctly. Actually (8/2)(2+2) gets the same result as 8/2(2+2), also the same as simply 8*2*4
Load More Replies... Dynein 5 years ago
If anything, this is an argument for the fraction bar. The division sign means there's ambiguity in whether multiplication or division comes first, so people give answers dependng on which convention they use (I learned "dot before line")... And people can't agree because there's no meaning to the equation. In "real" maths, equations are tied to concepts, even if that fact is generally lost in the school setting. There's an underlying logic and the equation merely serves to tie down the specifics. This is the equivalent of a grammar war for, e.g., the sentence "We invited two strippers, Hitler and Stalin." - except with nonsensical words ("Do duggided two libabas, Niriri sen Dalili")- you don't know what it's about, so there's no way to deduce the underlying, "true" meaning and thus the "correct" convention.
John Louis 5 years ago
Here are the two options 1) 8 / 2 (2+2) ---- 8 / 2 (4) ---- 8/2 * 4 -------- 4 * 4 = 16 2) 8/ 2(2+2) ----- 8 / 2(4) 8 / 8 = 1. I was taught to do it the first way. Who or what knows the order of operations so well that they can resolve this issue?
Demonic cow 5 years ago
Sorry my post was wrong, I tried to help. I guess I overestimated my math skill and told you something wrong. Take pizza as an apology? 🍕🍕🍕
Load More Replies... Ed Thrush 5 years ago
The equation is written wrong that is why it is vague to some. It should be 8/(2(2+2)) With the correct parentheses you do the inner to outer and you are good with 1 If you want a different answer then put different order of calculation
Jewels Vern 5 years ago
The problem is improperly presented. Whether you use BODMAS or PEMDAS. multiplication and division are equal priority, so parentheses must be used to clarify the statement, either 8/(2(2+2)) or (8/2)(2+2).
Elizabeth Clothier 5 years ago
All of you are wrong. It's equation equals A Purple Penguin. You're welcome.
Reid-erick Rosberg 5 years ago
8 divided by 2 ok 4-- 4 . the bracet 2plus 2-- ok . 4 so meaning 4 times 4- ok 16 . ore specifc . or . divded 4 dived 4 - equals 1
Hug 5 years ago
It does not matter if you use BODMAS or PEMDAS the multiplication has parenthesis which comes before both division and multiplication. Answer is definitely 1
loading... 5 years ago
The answer is one. 8/2(2+2): according to BODMAS (brackets, orders, division & multiplication, addition & subtraction) you would do (2+2) first which comes out to be 4 therefore 8/2(4). Since the 4 is still in brackets, the operation done to it must come first, so 2x4=8 which leaves us with 8/8, which, of course, is 1.
Thomas Es Thomas 5 years ago
And the answer is: Who the Hell cares? No matter what the answer is (one), writing an equation on the internet randomly is quite boring. Also, you could plug in any random string so long as the result is whole.
Deborah Sweeney 5 years ago
Honestly, this whole thing could be resolved if it was either written as (8/2)(2+2), which would = 16, or 8/[2(2+2)], which would =1.
Laura West 5 years ago
The answer is 1. There's no debating the f*****g answer. This is basic math. The only people who don't think it's 1 are idiots.
Phat Le 5 years ago (edited)
How about putting it in terms that little kids could understand. You have 8 cookies and you have to give it to 2 groups of 4 kids (i.e. each group with 2 boys and 2 girls). i.e. 8 cookies 2 x (2 boys + 2 girls) = 8 kids each gets 1 cookie! 😁
Rissie 5 years ago (edited)
Both can be right depending on the rules you use for solving this. It's not the notation that makes math fun it's what the scribbles represent. Hence, everyone claiming to be certain of the answer and have a math degree is per my definition a liar or spend a lot of time on studying a subject without my passion for it ;)
Peko 5 years ago
That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works.
Load More Replies... Debra Starr Moon 5 years ago
If you make it a word problem it makes more sense. You have eight apples that you divide among two groups, each group being made up of two boys and two girls. How many apples does each person get? One. Not sixteen.
Niall Mac Iomera 5 years ago
It's because the 'divided by' symbol isn't a real mathematical operant. It's what we use for kids so they don't have to write on multiple lines. It's not a real operant because it forces you to assume bracketing - that's why all these questions depend on its use.
Jason Doakes 5 years ago
This "puzzle" is ambiguous on purpose, it's a clickbait "puzzle", why publicize it?
Caleb Paulson 5 years ago
They shoulda added at least a million more parentheses if they wanted the answer to be clear.
IT The Lockdown Biz 1 year ago
Bodmas and pedmas say the same thing - brackets go first. So 8÷2(2+2) becomes 8÷2(4). Multiplication and division are equal in both bodmas and pedmas. Therefore, we go right to left. So 8÷2(4) = 4(4) = 16. Therefore it is 16. Let me simplify it: 8÷2(2+2) =8÷2(4) =4(4) =16
Nicola Roberts 5 years ago
Microsoft Excel: We found a typo in your formula and tried to correct it
MorningStar Kematch 5 years ago
16....that's because I was told to do the brackets first, then the other equation and then you multiply them because that's what you do when there's no...you know...equation icon thing. Sorry guys. It's early and quite frankly this is the dummy version.
MorningStar Kematch 5 years ago
Okay...BEDMAS...that's what I was taught.
Load More Replies... Mill Hattingh 5 years ago (edited)
Its 1. The rule of parenthesis applies to what is inside plyus next to it. If you want the answer to be 16 you need to add a 1. Iow it would be 8 ÷ 2 × 1 (2+2). The parenthesis is a suggestive multiplication. Not a divisional multiplication. If you replace the conventional divisional sign with /, the 2 doesnt get separated from the parenthesis. In other words it does a multiplication function but is not a multiplication symbol function. In other words, you multiply the 2 with everything that is in the parenthesis. So 8 ÷ ((2 ×2) +(2×2) = 8 ÷ ((4)+(4)) = 8 ÷ 8 = 1. Or 8/ 2 (2+2).
Neon_Sketch_Art 5 years ago
Based on what my math teacher taught me, you always start with (), so, 4. Then, whether multiplication or division, you do whatever is first. So, 4 again. Multiply both since there is no symbol between the number and the (. So my answer is 16.
Alfred Doubleday 5 years ago
All these constant 'trick' math questions just go to show that BODMAS/PEMDAS are sh*tty conventions. The whole point of having a convention is to get everyone on the same page, so that they understand the same thing. But a huge portion of the population either don't know the conventions, don't get them right, or as in this case... using different (but similar) conventions. Math is great because the calculations themselves are either right or wrong. But reading and interpreting the equation is completely different, and is often ambiguous.
Chris Dillman 5 years ago
This is stupid. There is literally 2 answers. No one is correct or incorrect since this equation doesn't have hard rules the way it is written. That's exactly why people are up in arms about it. I love all the maths wizards out there, stating they have degrees and such, and still claiming their 1 answer is the correct one. Insanity. This is what the internet is for, these days. Beefs where beefs shouldn't be, everyone so set on being correct
Peko 5 years ago
There are conventions in Maths, the answer here is definitely 1, by the conventions of Maths. The only way to not get 1 is to be unaware of mathematical conventions.
Load More Replies... Bruce Mills 5 years ago
Clearly, there is another method of teaching than what is described. In both, the P and B have to be COMPLETELY solved first. The number next to the bracket is a part of the bracket equation, that you have to solve first in both methods. Now, perhaps in some parts of the world, or in modern teaching, it isnt done this way. But if you were in my Engineering classes 25 years ago in Australia, and answered other than '1', then you would have been wrong. Are they now teaching 16? Probably not there, because some of those students went on to be professors. But clearly somewhere in the world 16 is being taught.
Mama Panda 5 years ago
Oh for s**t's sake the answer is 16. The equation is not written wrong dumbasses because you didn't write the damn thing. Never heard of BODMAS until I read the comments. You are all making too much out of this, give up already.
Peko 5 years ago
The only way to get 16 is to be mathematically illiterate.
Load More Replies... Hubertus Touché 5 years ago
Hanteren wij 'Hallo, Meneer Van Dalen Wacht Op Antwoord' dan is de uitkomst 1...
AndersM 5 years ago
8-2=6 2+2=4 so it must be 10? But I'm an idiot when it comes to.math anyway.
Bryanna Van Leeuwen 5 years ago
What the heck is BODMAS? I've heard of PEMDAS and we use BEDMAS (brackets, exponents, division/multiplication, addition/subtraction) here in Canada, but what does the O stand for in BODMAS?
GRACE HOPPING 3 years ago
it is 16 because the problem is 8/2 (2+2)=? and 8/2=4, 2+2=4 and 4(4) or 4x4= 16
GRACE HOPPING 3 years ago
Its 16 because the problem is 8/2 (2+2)= ? and 8/2=4, 2+2=4 and 4(4) or 4x4= 16, therefore it is 16
Robin Watkons 4 years ago
The author of the P. E. M/D. A/S. mnemonic device made an effort to remind you that what is MINE is DEAR -- not two different things... and your Aunt Sally is both i.e., your AUNT is SALLY.
Willa june Bonaparte 5 years ago
It's 16. We learned this at the start of sixth grade. The order of operations is Parentheses, Exponents, Division and Multiplication(or vice versa), Addition and Subtraction(or vice versa). Have fun learning!
Philbert Spencer 5 years ago
If you too dumb enough not to know the answer is 1 then you need to go back to where you got your degree(s) and get your money back. 🤦🏽♂️
Robert Pacl 5 years ago
The point to the whole brouhaha is that unless you define your meanings and conditions before you start, you're replicating the Tower of Babel. Math is not an objective science - it doesn't exist outside the human mind. It's a tool to provide invaluable assistance in handling the many physical problems which would otherwise be done by repeated cut and tries. I think it is truly the closest thing to a miracle that mankind ever conceived as possibly the ultimate abstraction.
Larry Walser 5 years ago
PEMDAS (parentheses, exponents, multiplacation/division, subtraction, left to right is what i was taught, so it would be 16.
Mill Hattingh 5 years ago
It's simple. Parenthesis first. Inside and out! There's no multiplication dividing the 2 from the parenthesis. Its a suggestive multiplication. The answer is therefore 1.
Mark Ramsay 5 years ago
It's 1. It shall be and can only be 1. For the simple reason of both how it's written and the basic rules. Notice its 8*space*/*space* [secondary equation = 2(2+2)] as its written. The 2(2+2) has to be done first its a separate equation and joined together, so it must equal 8. When you plug that in it now goes 8 / 8 which must equal 1. Bracketed equations must come first regardless, how any mathematician does it. There are three other ways the answer can only be one. And one is mentioned above where you place substitute for x and y. If you got 16 and you worked say, nasa or a nuclear plant. You would probably be fired immediately as a hazard.
Mark Ramsay 5 years ago
Well I got 1. But Ican see why it can be 16, but from my perspective (bodmas method) its 1. Since people are confusing multiplication and brackets in this equation to be the same thing is entirely incorrect. You use brackets when for things to take priority in the equation, hence 2(2+2). That is a bracketed equation so that must be 8. Since the 8/ part is not apart of the equation (notice the spaces between for the original image on this posr, it has spaces) it should count separately to the brackets. Like in language you count the spaces as part of the equation. This makes substitutions much easier and cancellation more accurate. There is a good example up above.
What am i doing here 5 years ago
Pretty sure it’s sixteen. Am I doing something wrong? I learned this stuff two years ago but I suck at math. 8 divided by 2 is 4, 2 plus 2 is four, and in school I was taught to always multiply the stuff in parenthesis by what wasn’t. How do you get one?
fainasKeturatis 5 years ago
is this again one of the examples when someone is bullying poor uneducated Americans?
AzKhaleesi 5 years ago
The answer is = Purple because aliens don't wear hats. Whew! Now that it's all over ,we can all go back to our actual life problems....
Ikos Joseph 5 years ago
Lol...Riddles. my earlier comment suggest the answer is 1. You had taken your mind aback to 0.
Ikos Joseph 5 years ago
I think clearly that the Answer is 0. Otherwise I had go with 16. As explained, depending on the mathematical rule the examiner is adopting he won't let in these two answers same time in a question with objective answers. We open the bracket first since 8 stands alone. That leaves us with 8/4+4= 0
Lola 5 years ago
The answer is 16 and the rule is very simple. If there are parenthesis, you do that first no matter what. If you are only left with multiplication and division, you always do left to right. Same goes for addition and subtraction - always left to right. If there is a mix of division, subtraction, multiplication or addition and no parenthesis, you follow PEMDAS.
Jack Lambrecht 5 years ago
IT is 16: 2(4) is not one term, think of it as 2 • 4. Now its (8/2) • 4.....
Crusher Skull 5 years ago
The same equation is used in both calc and algebra but solved in a different ways. So the answer you get in calc is wrong in algabra and, the answer you get in algabra is Wrong in calc. So both 1 and 16 are right. At least that's what I think.
Mainza Munsanje 5 years ago
That equation is written correctly and the answer is 16 , all of you trying to justify 1 as the answer should take several seats and ponder how you have those "degrees"
Evil Queen 5 years ago
8/2(2+2) First do the brackets. 2+2=4. Then do 8/2=4. Then multiply. It equals sixteen.
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
2xBracket=Bracket+Bracket. The 2 that is multiplied with the bracket is PART of the bracket. So you have 8/[(2+2)+(2+2)]=1
Load More Replies... Max Alberts 5 years ago
I thought you were supposed to DIVIDE the numbers inside the brackets by the number outside of brackets beside it. I'e been doing it all my life and I'll be sixty-six in three weeks. Now I see why I constantly failed math. Because my eyes freeze simply staring at numbers. Unless I'm weighing my dope.
AnnieLaurie Burke 5 years ago
Srsly, guys, a first-year algebra student could see there is an operator missing!
ANDREA SERRANO MORALES 5 years ago
i need to go to math another 45 whole minutes again for a whole year
Niall Mac Iomera 5 years ago
The answer is 1. Anything depends on assuming brackets based on the inclusion of the 'division' symbol - which is not a true mathematical operant
Lenka Smetanová 5 years ago
parentheses still have priority... so, if we have 4 in parentheses, and we have a number before it, we must add up that parenthesis and get rid of them, after that we can use the first number in that example... so the answer is 1
Leodavinci 5 years ago
Here's the thing. If math is to be considered a "universal language", then rules have to be hard and fast... no ambiguity. No "interpretational" situations like this. No assumptions. Otherwise, everything based on mathematics is based on a house of cards. No wonder they haven't been able to develop a grand unified field theory.
Peko 5 years ago
This isn't something that is ambiguous in the field of mathematics. First, no one would write an equation that way, they'd use a line so there'd be no ambiguity as to what the denominator is. Second, if you group it like 2(2+2) it's taken to mean that the whole thing is the denominator while if you were to write it as 2*(2+2) then it'd be understood as only 2 being the denominator. The only people who are confused by this are those that never went beyond high school maths.
Load More Replies... chi-wei shen 5 years ago
The equation is written in an ambiguous way. The missing multiplication sign before the bracket makes it look like a multiplication denoted by juxtaposition, but this way of multiplication should be used only where symbols (letters) are involved like "2a". Whoever wrote this equation should have used a multiplication sign to make the left-to-right rule obvious, leading to the result 16.
Fire Chalk 5 years ago
Idiots... the correct answer is 1 you have to solve the parentheses and then multiply 2 by 2 plus 2
Uwe Theiss 5 years ago
At equal operations like multiply/divide you do it from left to right.
Load More Replies... Mill Hattingh 5 years ago
Lets make it simple. Add variables. 8 ÷ 2 (a + b) = 8 ÷ (2a + 2b) The 2 belongs to the parenthesis and the rule is parentheses first. Or rewrite the equation as 8 over 2 (2+2) = 1. Ill go further. 8 ÷ 2 ×(2+2) is wrong because you cannot put two symbols next to each other. That changes the equation. If you want the answer to be 16, the equation must be 8 ÷ 2 × 1 (2+2). The invisible one appears. And thats not the equation given. Thats the equation you altered. The answer is 1. Sorry.
Michelle Smiles 5 years ago
We used BEDMAS Brackets,Exponents, Division,Multiplication, Adding and Subtracting. Everyone was taught differently and learn this in Jr high 32 years ago.
Derek Wilson 5 years ago
I don't know how the internet completely blows up when they see something so simple like math equations like these.
Magpie 5 years ago
It just proves mathematics is hard. And you MUST define your methods first if you want to have a conversation using maths as the language.
Peko 5 years ago
These things are already defined, it's just that most people aren't aware of the definitions.
Load More Replies... Lea Springstead 5 years ago
In the way that the equation was originally written, there are two separate equations that need to be reconciled amongst themselves. Do the separate equations and then reconcile them together. PEMDAS is real and the answer is 16. The answer where you get 1 is if you change how the equation is written. Jesus people...
C Hypercube 5 years ago
It's 1. Funny thing is that considering that multiplication is associative and you switch 2x(2+2) to (2+2)x2...indeed, even Windows calculator gives you 4. But it's 1 in the end, because 2(2+2) is like (2x2+2x2).
Load More Replies... Jean Lewis 5 years ago
Parentheses first, then multiplication and division at the same time, left to right: 8÷2(2+2)=8÷2x4=4x4=16 The only way to get the answer 1 is if all the 2s are bracketed in the denominator. 8÷[2(2+2)]=8÷[2x4]=8÷8=1
Άρης Παπαδόπουλος 5 years ago
2x(2+2) = (2+2)+(2+2). Here are your brackets. Answer is 1 in both BODMAS, PEMDAS and DUMBAS.
im2reckless2drive@gmail.com 5 years ago
⅓ or 0.33 Pretty sure we start with 2+2=4 No mathematical symbol telling us what we do with the 4 but it is butted up against the 2. So the second part of our equation is 24 8÷24=0.33 or ⅓
Shull GaRett 5 years ago
It all comes down to treatment of the %-sign (division). Some take it as division some takt it as "fractional line" in a fraction. And in math rules around 1920 this was the case that % represented fractional line and the right answer would be 1. And according to current rules its 16
Tiina Lehtineva 5 years ago
Are people also calculating 5-2+2=1?? Because "adding" is before "subtraction"?? I'm serious. I wouldn't, the rule is left to right, but is this really a thing. I understand the multiply and divide calculations can be hard sometimes, I'm not perfect either, but if you say this one is 1 because the pemdas or whatever rule, 5-2+2 should be 1 for you. Is it? I'm curious. I always thought math was the same all over the country, but I never have heart of this pemdas rule. I did graduate with math, but I think we may have used another memory tricks here in Finland...
Greg Shelley 5 years ago
Possibly, or they might thing 5-2+(2)=1, because “brackets first” may be what is confusing them. I’m not sure
Load More Replies... Greg Shelley 5 years ago
This is not the first article I have seen on this and I still don’t get why people think it is 1. Do they think multiplication comes before division, or does a number being in brackets confuse them?
Audrée Adam 5 years ago
It is 16. And here's why : There is an order to things. Here, the parenthesis gets solved first. Then, you need to solve the / and x in ORDER OF APPEARANCE, therefore it's not 1, but 16. 16-5d459d079d1ca.jpg
Peko 5 years ago
You're still wrong, no matter how many pictures you post.
Load More Replies... David carro 5 years ago
First brackets. Then, between division and multiplication, as they are at the same level of importance, from left to right. Answer is 16
F. H. 5 years ago
It's really not that hard: 8/2(2+2)=12 and 8/(2(2+2))=1. That's really basic math. The problem is, that people use that stupid PEDMAS thing without knowing what they are doing. If you solve the parenthesis first, it doesn't change the order of the rest. Its's: 8/2x4. And then you just solve it from left to right.
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