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Original poster

40+40x0+1 ?

539 replies

minimuffy · 09/11/2011 19:48

40 + 40 x 0 + 1 =

A- 1
B- 41
c- 0

I say its B-41 as you need to multiply then add. (from what i remember of standard grade maths the acroymym BOMDAS- brackets off, multiply, divide, add, subtract)

DH says its 1.

please tell he's wrong!

OP posts:
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nickelbabe · 15/11/2011 12:51

i think it's 288.

Fififison · 15/11/2011 12:15

So, what is the answer?

nickelbabe · 15/11/2011 11:14

s'okay.
it was very confusing up there :)

Jux · 15/11/2011 11:09

Sorry, nicklebabe Blush

nickelbabe · 15/11/2011 09:57

Jux - it wasn't me that said the brackets didn't come into play! that was jj Shock

she said it didn't matter where the brackets were, that once you'd changed the (9+3) into a 12, then it depends where the divide sign is.
I can see what you mean, now, jj - I was doing the brackets and then doing what I perceived as the divide sign - I saw the 48 on top and everything else below.
You saw the 48/2 on the left and the 12 on the right.

Jux · 14/11/2011 23:14

Yes, but I think on the forum it was originally posted on, it was meant to stimulate discussion. Seems to have worked Smile

trixymalixy · 14/11/2011 23:01

Ditto Grimma!!!

GrimmaTheNome · 14/11/2011 22:52

...whereas I program maths extensively for my job so I'd make sure there were enough brackets in there to make it unambiguous in the first place.

Jux · 14/11/2011 22:46

Thanks, jjkm. I was mildly worried she meant

24/2 = 12
12*9=108
108+3=111

The possibility of yet another possible answer was likely to give me conniptions!

jjkm · 14/11/2011 22:03

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jjkm · 14/11/2011 21:59

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Jux · 14/11/2011 20:58

Sorry, dd talking to me at time of writing post. Blush

... Do you simply x 9 ...

Jux · 14/11/2011 20:37

Oh don't, I'm grappling with functions atm!

Vis a vis the 2 or 288 problem, I don't understand why the brackets don't come into play, nickel? Surely they make a lot of difference? For instance, without the brackets, do you assume x 9, after you've divided by 2?

schnitzelvoncrumm · 14/11/2011 18:12

to those who answered my riddle ... yes, powers of three are the way forward.

And to all those mathematicians and trainee mathematicians out there I say BODMAS? Ha! Wait until you get nutters linear algebra die-hards writing their functions in a non-standard order...

jjkm · 14/11/2011 17:44

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jjkm · 14/11/2011 17:43

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nickelbabe · 14/11/2011 17:11

no, the way that it is written it gives 2 - because you do the brackets first.

you can ignore the + completely, because if you do the brackets first, you will end up with a row of multiplications.
288 is technically incorrect if you follow the brackets rule.

jjkm · 14/11/2011 16:46

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PacificDogwood · 14/11/2011 16:36

288

Order of operations and left to right rule.
I don't understand how there could possibly be debate about it Wink.

nickelbabe · 14/11/2011 11:38

48/2(9+3)

tried that with the given brackets on computer calculator and it came out with 288.
I'm really confused about that, because even if I didn't know "bodmas" by name or description, I would still read it as 48 divided by (2 x (9+3))

head hurts.

It's 2, anyway.

Jux · 14/11/2011 08:57

yup, it's badly written. Handwritten would make clear what you are dividing by. We had a long discussion about it on my course forum and neither the tutors nor moderators could truly decide. It came from another forum as a trick question, as there is not really a right answer because it's so unclear. The original discussion forum ran to something like 24 pages!

jjkm · 14/11/2011 06:48

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jjkm · 14/11/2011 06:43

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Thumbwitch · 14/11/2011 02:24

Excel says it's 288 but I agree with totempole, if that were handwritten you'd be able to tell FAR more easily what the correct answer would be by where the (9+3) was placed in the division.

TotemPole · 14/11/2011 01:41

48/2(9+3)

That looks like:

48
--
2(9+3)

if it is then the answer is 2

But if it's really:

48
---(9+3)
2

then the answer is 288.