I think many of you need to read

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_operations

10/6/2014 1:41:17 AM

WHY IS THIS THREAD SO LONG?

10/6/2014 9:54:36 AM

Quote :

"^^^I don't care if you use 1/2 or 0.5. Neither is necessary. Why do you want to add an extra step to an easy math problem?"

Here's your problem... no one is adding an extra step. It is simply reading what the mathematical statement says.

10/6/2014 10:15:46 AM

WHY IS THIS THREAD SO LONG?

10/7/2014 12:04:07 AM

Quote :

" It is simply reading what the mathematical statement says"

To me, the first part of it says "6 divided by 2". I don't see why you would read it any other way.

10/7/2014 12:06:45 AM

^ because replacing the division with multiplication makes it less ambiguous what calculation you're trying to make.

That's the purpose of reformatting it in that way.

As others have pointed out, you can restructure it other ways to get different results, but those other ways tend to make bigger assumptions (but aren't necessarily wrong, just less sensible).

10/7/2014 1:20:25 AM

But as I've said like 5 times, there's no need to reformat anything. It's a simple math problem. There's no ambiguity at all.

10/7/2014 1:26:59 AM

Lol, your lack of ability to see ambiguity doesn't mean there isn't ambiguity.

10/7/2014 1:58:57 AM

Fwiw, I'm a professional mathematican, and my thoughts are

1. The answer is 9.
2. That said, it's extremely poor notational form not to put parentheses around the 6/2 here, if you want this operation to be performed first. Because ordinarily when we've got a fraction, there's a bar that makes parentheses unnecessary. Indeed, if the slash / were a fractional bar (which is what it represents), then we'd have

6
-----
2(1+2)

and the answer WOULD be 1.

Technically, a / doesn't separate things in quite the same way that a fraction-bar does; but / isn't even a fucking proper mathematical symbol. But it's understood that / and x should receive equal priority when you're obliged to use the /.

Fucking interesting little point of mathematical law here. Although I agree that it's more about machines interepreting mathematics than mathematics itself.

10/7/2014 2:11:47 AM

Quote :

"To me, the first part of it says "6 divided by 2". I don't see why you would read it any other way."

I just said the same thing. I'm guessing you don't have a strong math background?

10/7/2014 9:34:59 AM

I'm guessing you were taught rudimentary math by an idiot and are still stuck in your old habits?

When someone says "What's 5 minus 2" do you say "What's 5 plus negative 2"?

[Edited on October 7, 2014 at 2:32 PM. Reason : .]

10/7/2014 2:26:34 PM

hold on i got this

10/7/2014 3:00:36 PM

^^we all do. we all go to nc state.

10/7/2014 3:03:22 PM