2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2+2 x 0?

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This topic has 482 replies, 114 voices, and was last updated 12 years ago by oldnpastit.

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2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2+2 x 0?
GrahamS
Full Member

This child’s arithmetic question seems to be doing the rounds on Facebook at the moment as a poll.

So far the results are:

28: 44,870 votes 26: 532,475 votes 30: 60,095 votes 0: 800,597 votes

Who says standards of mathematics are slipping eh? 😉

Posted 12 years ago

fadda
Full Member

It’s 0, right…?

Posted 12 years ago

allthepies
Free Member

what’s the operator precedence ? 😉

Posted 12 years ago

FGF 701 The Hydrate Or Die Edition

GrahamS
Full Member

For the mathematically confused: PEDMAS.

(or BODMAS if you want to be very British about it)

Posted 12 years ago

donsimon
Free Member

Who says standards of mathematics are slipping eh?

The smug?

Posted 12 years ago

wwaswas
Full Member

0 isn’t it?

Posted 12 years ago

midlifecrashes
Full Member

BODMAS? if so, 26

Posted 12 years ago

allthepies
Free Member

26 assuming conventional precedence.

Posted 12 years ago

donsimon
Free Member

Anything multiplied by 0 will give an answer of 0.

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

BODMAS? if so, 26
26 assuming conventional precedence.

Hurrah, the engineers arrive 😀

Posted 12 years ago

ianpinder
Free Member

Lol

Posted 12 years ago

webwonkmtber
Free Member

Hmm. Maths is dumb. If you have something and then multiple it by nothing, then how can the something that you had suddenly become nothing? Where’s the logic in that?

Posted 12 years ago

jon1973
Free Member

Anything multiplied by 0 will give an answer of 0.

it’s only the last 2 that is multiplied by 0.

2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2+(2 x 0)

Posted 12 years ago

ianpinder
Free Member

don simon – Member
Anything multiplied by 0 will give an answer of 0.

Yes it will. But your still wrong

Posted 12 years ago

Stoatsbrother
Free Member

I’d be interested in the professions/jobs of anyone who does not think this is 0.

My 9 year old strolled past – saw this thread and laughed – saying “anything multiplied by zero is zero… isn’t it…”

Any arguments about this will be about the way it is written and what it “means”

Posted 12 years ago

ianpinder
Free Member

Engineer. And it is not zero

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

My 9 year old strolled past – saw this thread and laughed – saying “anything multiplied by zero is zero… isn’t it…”

Tell her maths teacher!

Posted 12 years ago

Stoatsbrother
Free Member

And there we go… yes we all remember BODMAS from school… but in the real world the operations are performed sequentially unless the brackets are explicit…

Posted 12 years ago

allthepies
Free Member

Software Engineer – it’s 26

Posted 12 years ago

fadda
Full Member

Surely, the only way to have this not equalling zero, is if there were some brackets missed off the op…?

Posted 12 years ago

Cougar
Full Member

Should be 26. Multiply / divide operations take precedence over add / subtract, then you evaluate left to right. So, you’ve got the first twelve 2’s for a total of 28, minus 2 to see if you’re being observant to make 26, then plus (2 x 0) to still equal 26.

EDIT: Wow, a lot of posts whilst I typed that. Never heard of BODMAS etc.

Posted 12 years ago

donsimon
Free Member

Yes it will. But your still wrong

How can that be both wrong and right.
Any number multiplied by zero is zero. The answer to the problem stated above might be different from that statement, but there is nothing to connect the two. Linguist who might be considered cunning.

Posted 12 years ago

funkynick
Full Member

It’s very worrying when something like this has more people picking the wrong answer!

To agree with those above, the answer is 26.

It’s just unfortunate that there isn’t an additional 1 at the front of the list, then it could have been in RPN… 😀

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

I’d be interested in the professions/jobs of anyone who does not think this is 0.

I’d suspect they’ll be mostly software geeks or engineers.

Software Engineer myself, so I know it’s not zero 🙂

Posted 12 years ago

IanMunro
Free Member

I’d be interested in the professions/jobs of anyone who does not think this is 0.

Engineer – 26

Posted 12 years ago

Flaperon
Full Member

26. Jeebus weeps.

Posted 12 years ago

jon1973
Free Member

Surely, the only way to have this not equalling zero, is if there were some brackets missed off the op…?

no, because it’s convention to do the multiplication bit first, in the absence of any brackets.

Posted 12 years ago

ianpinder
Free Member

don simon – Member
Yes it will. But your still wrong

How can that be both wrong and right.
Any number multiplied by zero is zero. The answer to the problem stated above might be different from that statement, but there is nothing to connect the two.

True

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

Here’s the working for those struggling:

2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2+2 x 0 = (2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2) + (2 x 0) = (26) + (0) = 26

Those getting zero are reading it as (2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2+2-2+2) x 0 which is wrong.

Posted 12 years ago

Cougar
Full Member

I’d be interested in the professions/jobs of anyone who does not think this is 0.

I work in IT, but that’s not why I know it’s not zero. I know it’s not zero because I went to school.

Posted 12 years ago

scaredypants
Full Member

my 9 & 11 yr-olds say it’s zero (9yr – anything x zero is zero) and 32 (11yr – saw them all as plusses on her 1 second skim 🙄 )

how many lashes of the cat for each ?

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

This is basic GSCE maths by the way 😀

I’d ask the zero folk what they think 2 + 3 x 5 – 4 is?

(Hint: it’s 13)

Posted 12 years ago

scaredypants
Full Member

Engineer – 26

minus 26 !! – jees, you don’t build anyhting important do you IanM ?

Posted 12 years ago

fadda
Full Member

I’ve reached the dizzy heights of 46 years old without ever knowing that pedmas thing.

Should I be bothered? (i’m not…)

Posted 12 years ago

motivforz
Free Member

Mech Eng – 26.

What’s infinity times zero then?

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

minus 26 !! – jees, you don’t build anyhting important do you IanM ?

Yeah but he always starts at the top 😀

Posted 12 years ago

Cougar
Full Member

Good thread, BTW. More please.

Posted 12 years ago

andrewh
Free Member

I’d be interested in the professions/jobs of anyone who does not think this is 0.

I’m going for 26 (admin for accountancy practice). Would probably have got it right aged about 8 though.

Posted 12 years ago

GrahamS
Full Member

yes we all remember BODMAS from school… but in the real world the operations are performed sequentially unless the brackets are explicit…

😯

The real world yesterday.

Posted 12 years ago

flap_jack
Free Member

scardypants – your 11 yr old is right (in octal)

Posted 12 years ago