Maths Disagreement

[TulaOfDarkWater]

One person thinks the answer is 165 and the other thinks 67, who is right?

YABU - 165
YANBU - 67

Or what’s the answer if both are wrong?

@TulaOfDarkWater

Oh jeez, to be honest neither of us noticed that the shapes / bananas / time changed so obviously we are both wrong then!

IF all the symbols were exactly the same throughout though, so:

Grey thingy = 15
Bananas = 4
Clock = 3

What would the answer be then? What we’re really disagreeing on is where the brackets go I guess so is it:

(3 + 4 + 4) x 15

or

3 + 4 + (4 x 15)

The latter

165

45 divided by 3 = 15 (Shape)
23 minus 15 (Shape) = 8 therefore one banana is 4
10 minus 4 (banana) = 6 therefore on clock = 3

3 (banana) plus 8 (2 bananas) x 15 = 165.

But if you start bunging in some brackets then it is a whole different ballgame!

@YetAnotherUsernameToday

There isnt enough information to say that.

The examples sums work if you count the number of sides of all the shapes.

The examples sums also work if you just count the number of whole shapes and divide the answer by them.

The shapes could be worth 5 each. Or it could be number of sides. You cant assume in maths. So, the sum is not possible because they haven't given enough information.

They should have removed the square in the second line and the answer would have told us if the square was worth 4 or 5 (number of sides or 5 points per shape).

They didnt. The most we can say is that it is either 35 or 38. There isnt enough information to get it down to one answer out of those.

@Mischance

165

45 divided by 3 = 15 (Shape)
23 minus 15 (Shape) = 8 therefore one banana is 4
10 minus 4 (banana) = 6 therefore on clock = 3

3 (banana) plus 8 (2 bananas) x 15 = 165.

But if you start bunging in some brackets then it is a whole different ballgame!

Right, you dont need brackets. You do muplitplation first. If you get 165 then you're ignoring the correct order of maths.

The shapes also chance in the last line. You're meant to figure out what each thing is worth, you don't use the figures from the first sums.

Each banana is 1. You use the number on the clock face. The shapes are the problem. They are either worth 5 each or it is done by counting the number of sides. There isnt enough information to get that right. So it is either 35 or 38.

38
3 bananas x (hexagon + pentagon) = 33
2 on clock + 3 bananas + 33 = 38

That is assuming the hexagon is 6 and pentagon is 5.

@Iamnotthe1

It's 38

The o'clock matters in the clock.
Each banana is worth 1.
The number of vertices matter with the shapes.

2 + 3 + 3 × 11
2 + 3 + 33
38

this what I got

I got 38, same maths as @FlamingoDust

I'm so pleased I've now done enough of these to spot all the "catch outs".
The answer is, as most have said, 38.

The shape, I believe, is easy as it's counting number of sides - 6+5+4 = 15. Remove the square = 11.

Bananas go from 4 to 3, and clock changes from 3 to 2.
Add in bodmas and --> 38

Yay!

Definitely 38

Bodmas

@ThumbWitchesAbroad

But how do you know you're meant to count the sides?
It works by counting the sides. But they all also work by assigning each shape with the same value.
They haven't shown you which it is. They could have done in the second line by removing the square and the answer would tell us if the square was 4 or 5. They haven't told us.

You cant assume in maths. They haven't given enough information. So it could be both 35 or 38. Both work. You cant give one single answer.

@zebrarobot

67. Bodmas

No.

If I make a few assumptions (4 sided shape removed from pattern gives 11, only 3 bananas in each bunch and clock now showing 2pm) then I get 2+3+(3*11) = 38

@Itsalmostanaccessory

Itsalmostanaccessory

StrongSunglasses
165 (because there’s no bracket)
It is 35 or 38. Can you explain how you got 165?

The hexagon = 15
Banana = 4
Clock = 3

(3+4+4)x15 = 165

Admittedly I didn’t examine it hard enough to see that the final hexagon is missing an inner square, but seeing as there’s zero context to work out the significance of this, I ignore that and assume an error in the drawing, otherwise it’d be impossible.

I’m also aware of doing the multiplication first, however when there’s no bracket I was also taught to do it in order (grammar school in the 90s)

38

38

38

...38

@stuckasastuckthing

Also think 38

(Time is 2 rather than 3; 3 bananas rather than 4; 11 sides on the combined shapes rather than 15)

So 2 + 3 + (3x11) = 38

That's how I make it (look at clock face, count bananas, count sides of figures).

The idea that some posters think order of operations in arithmetic is some kind of new thing in maths has me 😳

If I’m being generous, I think some confusion comes from the commutative nature of addition/subtraction and multiplication/division. So BIDMAS/BODMAS/PEDMAS or whatever you want to call it is not a “strict” order as division and multiplication are an equal pair, as are addition and subtraction, so in those cases you read left to right rather than rigidly performing division before multiplication.

@StrongSunglasses

It isnt just the shapes.
The number on the clock is different.
The number of bananas is different.

You were taught wrong or dont remember. Maths has been the same for many centuries. Multiply first. It will never be 165.

[quote Itsalmostanaccessory]@ThumbWitchesAbroad

But how do you know you're meant to count the sides?
It works by counting the sides. But they all also work by assigning each shape with the same value.
They haven't shown you which it is. They could have done in the second line by removing the square and the answer would tell us if the square was 4 or 5. They haven't told us.

You cant assume in maths. They haven't given enough information. So it could be both 35 or 38. Both work. You cant give one single answer.[/quote]
Yet you are clearly assuming that you know what the value of bananas and clocks are in the final calculation. There is not enough in the picture to conclude that if the clock shows 3 o'clock it has a value of 3 then having a time of 2 o'clock means it must have a value of 2. Likewise with the bananas. Both assumptions.

@ChildHeadache

It's 38.

Check no. Of bananas, number of sides and time on clock. And remember bodmas.

This

@thelittlestrhino

Not really. Both worked out using the previous calculations. It's just "find x".