48÷2(9+3) =

[Lakenut]

You guys are so old school....you know we are in the "Common Core" era now. Everything is different. This equation would be accompanied by 2- 3 historical/scientific documents that probably have little to do with solving equations. The kids would get 1 point if they solved the equation correctly.....1/2 point for an incorrect answer. The student would then be required to cite textual evidence from the documents stating the author's claim and telling how the document is relevant/not relevant to math to get the remaining 9 out of 10 points possible.

So the real answer is "None of the above"

 

[clock152]

=Potato!

 

[dennishoddy]

i figured it out and am from a small Okla town and never finished college, but the great Jb knows the answer so is there any point in me using my brain on math?

Solve this one: You have 10 strips of nice crispy bacon, someone tries to forcibly take 3 strips, What do you have now??

A dead body that needs disposed of quietly.

 

[rawhide]

Invalid poll -- How does it make you feel is not a choice.

 

[aviator41]

deuce

 

[AKguy1985]

JB knows the answer.

Like my 8th grade teacher said. PEMDAS

 

[bettingpython]

2 or 288 or JB knows or Obama sucks are all correct. Right?

correct, the problem is ambiguous and as written could be either 288 or 2

 

[MrShooter]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y9h1oqv21Vs


PEMDAS IS WRONG

 

[swampratt]

I will not read it all but there is sometimes more than one choice in some math problems..
Solution
The reason different calculators offer different answers to the equation depends on how the machine interprets the order of operations. Most calculators follow the traditional order, completing expressions within brackets before anything else, resulting in an answer of 288, as determined by WolframAlpha[17] and Google.[18] In this case, the problem is solved as follows:
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
48 ÷ 2(12)=
(48 ÷ 2)(12)=
24 * 12=
288
However, others will follow PEMDAS, a mnemonic term that stands for Parentheses, Exponentiation, Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction. By this logic, multiplication must take place before division, resulting in solving the problem as follows:
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
48 ÷ 2(12)=
48 ÷ 24=
2
Order of Operations and PEMDAS are not the only rules that can be applied to complete the equation. If one applies the distributive property, which requires numbers outside of an equation in parentheses be multiplied to each number in the enclosed equation separately, both results of 2 and 288 can be observed, depending on whether or not the division takes place first.
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
48 ÷ (2(9)+2(3))= (distributive property)
48 ÷ (18 + 6)=
48 ÷ 24=
2
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
(48 ÷ 2)(9+3)=
24(9 + 3)=
24(9) + 24(3)= (distributive property)
216 + 72
288
There is also an argument[15] that implied multiplication, as seen in the algebraic phrase 2x takes precedence over explicit multiplication using the “x” symbol. For example, in the problem 2/5x, the implicit multiplication suggested by 5x would come before the explicit division of 2/5. Following this logic, the equation can be solved as follows:
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
48 ÷ 2(12)=
48 ÷ 24=
2
The final approach suggests the obelus, the term for the symbol “÷”, represents the division of all terms preceding it by all terms after it[20][21], separating the two components of the equation at hand. Using this interpretation, the equation is solved like so:
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
(48) ÷ (2(9+3))=
(48) ÷ (2(12))
(48) ÷ (24)
2

 

[SoonerP226]

Holy necroposting, Batman! Be careful you don't dig up someone's grandpa!
And, because it is the only answer that's correct, I'll just leave this here: