I can't believe people are actually stupid enough to think the answer is 1 or 81....its.41 for goodness sake, go back to school and listen this time!!!
It can never be 81 no matter where you split the problem, logically it is 41 or 1 depending where you put the brackets but it can be 80, never 81. Also don't be so damn rude not everyone was taught the same way.
I can't believe people are actually stupid enough to think the answer is 1 or 81....its.41 for goodness sake, go back to school and listen this time!!!
It can never be 81 no matter where you split the problem, logically it is 41 or 1 depending where you put the brackets but it can be 80, never 81. Also don't be so damn rude not everyone was taught the same way.
It also probably depends on WHEN you went to school.
I can't believe people are actually stupid enough to think the answer is 1 or 81....its.41 for goodness sake, go back to school and listen this time!!!
Today in mathematics we use brackets for this sort of sum; there are no brackets, so the answer is 1.
Nice try by all those jumping on the 41 bandwagon though.
I can't believe people are actually stupid enough to think the answer is 1 or 81....its.41 for goodness sake, go back to school and listen this time!!!
Today in mathematics we use brackets for this sort of sum; there are no brackets, so the answer is 1.
Nice try by all those jumping on the 41 bandwagon though.
I was doing it in maths too (month or so ago) if there was brackets you would do whateve was in the brackets first, doesn't matter if its multiplication, subtraction etc, since there's no brackets you multiply first as it takes preference over subtraction/addition. If there was division and multiplication, you go from left to right.
Personally, I'd never heard of BODMAS before I read this thread. It appears that there is still some debate about this even taking into account this rule. The confusion really comes into effect when there is some division involved:
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
this is simple confusion between solving a mathematical formula and solving an arithmatic instance, written as the formula 40 + 40 x 0 + 1 the answer can only possibly ever be 41, there's no argument, that's how you solve a mathematical formula.
Now if I say "do 40 plus 40, now times by zero, now add 1" the answer is 1, but this is because I'm verbally bracketing each step.
simply put, the formula and the sentence are not the same, hence they give different answers.
Those answering 1 are giving the right answer to the wrong question
I love the way we ignore the fact that the Greeks invented maths over two thousand years ago (where are you now, Thales, when your country needs you?). So, any argument based on post-1980s teaching methods falls a little flat in my book.
The absence of brackets confuses, but the rules are clear. Doing the operations from left to right is wrong because, if you wrote them in a different order, you'd get a different result. So the hierarchy of 'power' followed by 'multiplication/division' then 'addition/subtraction' must always be adhered to.
41 it is. Any other answer betrays classical learning and you'll have Stephen Fry to answer to.
On a separate note, there is an easier explanation for the fact that 2^0 = 1 (or indeed any number to the power of zero being 1) and it goes like this:
2^4 = 2x2x2x2 = 16
2^3 = 2x2x2 = 8 (ie 16 divided by 2)
2^2 = 2x2 = 4 (ie 8 divided by 2)
2^1 = 2 (ie 4 divided by 2)
2^0 = 1 (ie 2 divided by 2)
Finally ... 0 divided by 0?
Think about it in financial terms. You have zero coins and you plan to divide them equally among zero people. How many coins does each person get?
There are no people. There are no coins. So the question is nonsense. You might as well ask "what colour is happiness?"
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
41 and 2. Although I think both are a little confusing on purpose.
I work a UCL, Monday I will be asking the top 1% (so they think) of the population,
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
no, this one is how its spoken I was a 3 person then thought its a play on words so half of four.
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
no, this one is how its spoken I was a 3 person then thought its a play on words so half of four.
Doesn't matter how it's spoken. You divide first then add.
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
no, this one is how its spoken I was a 3 person then thought its a play on words so half of four.
Doesn't matter how it's spoken. You divide first then add.
Half of two (= 1) plus 2 (=3).
It sort of matters how it is spoken
if you say half of 2, plus 2 (hence a little pause where comma is) the answer will be 3, If you say half of: 2 plus 2 (moving the pause) then the answer is 2. Like I said interpretation is the key.
There are 2 possible answers and am willing to bet that all those that thought the previous answer was '41' would answer this one with '2' and all those that thought the previous answer was '1' would answer this one with '3'.
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
no, this one is how its spoken I was a 3 person then thought its a play on words so half of four.
Doesn't matter how it's spoken. You divide first then add.
Half of two (= 1) plus 2 (=3).
It sort of matters how it is spoken
if you say half of 2, plus 2 (hence a little pause where comma is) the answer will be 3, If you say half of: 2 plus 2 (moving the pause) then the answer is 2. Like I said interpretation is the key.
Ah, the pause.
So how long does the pause have to be before the rules (developed by the Greeks in 585BC-ish) change?
Stuff the pause. Stick with the rules. They've served us well up to now.
I have a friend who is a theoretical physicist and he says the answer is open to interpretation due to the fact the question itself is incorrect. "Maths is clarity, that question is not."
Comments
http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111010105647AA7TbtU
http://www.thejach.com/view/2011/10/40_40_x_0_1
http://www.infos-du-net.com/forum/310764-28-40x0
Personally, I'd never heard of BODMAS before I read this thread. It appears that there is still some debate about this even taking into account this rule. The confusion really comes into effect when there is some division involved:
http://blog.aggregatedintelligence.com/2009/01/bodmas-or-pemdas-it-is-elementary.html
Now if I say "do 40 plus 40, now times by zero, now add 1" the answer is 1, but this is because I'm verbally bracketing each step.
simply put, the formula and the sentence are not the same, hence they give different answers.
Those answering 1 are giving the right answer to the wrong question
Top maths fun.
I love the way we ignore the fact that the Greeks invented maths over two thousand years ago (where are you now, Thales, when your country needs you?). So, any argument based on post-1980s teaching methods falls a little flat in my book.
The absence of brackets confuses, but the rules are clear. Doing the operations from left to right is wrong because, if you wrote them in a different order, you'd get a different result. So the hierarchy of 'power' followed by 'multiplication/division' then 'addition/subtraction' must always be adhered to.
41 it is. Any other answer betrays classical learning and you'll have Stephen Fry to answer to.
On a separate note, there is an easier explanation for the fact that 2^0 = 1 (or indeed any number to the power of zero being 1) and it goes like this:
2^4 = 2x2x2x2 = 16
2^3 = 2x2x2 = 8 (ie 16 divided by 2)
2^2 = 2x2 = 4 (ie 8 divided by 2)
2^1 = 2 (ie 4 divided by 2)
2^0 = 1 (ie 2 divided by 2)
Finally ... 0 divided by 0?
Think about it in financial terms. You have zero coins and you plan to divide them equally among zero people. How many coins does each person get?
There are no people. There are no coins. So the question is nonsense. You might as well ask "what colour is happiness?"
I work a UCL, Monday I will be asking the top 1% (so they think) of the population,
Wrong, sadiejane.
I'm in the 41 camp ... and half of two plus two is three for all the same reasons. Divide first then add.
Doesn't matter how it's spoken. You divide first then add.
Half of two (= 1) plus 2 (=3).
Ah, the pause.
So how long does the pause have to be before the rules (developed by the Greeks in 585BC-ish) change?
Stuff the pause. Stick with the rules. They've served us well up to now.
I have an O-Level in Maths.(Cambridge Examination Board 1982) Not an A -Level in Pure or Applied Maths etc.
When I took my "O-Level" many, many years ago there was NO BODMAS(HIT).
The ONLY rule was "Brackets First". Nothing more, nothing less.
If the world of education wants to change the rules now, well that's fine with me. I am Grandfathered.
There are no brackets in this sum so the answer is 1.
End of chat.
40 + 40 = 80
80 x 0 = 80 (Thats not doing anything is it)
80 + 1 =81
Well thats what I thought
Oh dear.
The wielding of an O-level.
Well .. if you're happy ...
How do you make 80 x 0 = 80 you thick dick?
You have a bag with nothing in it. You have 80 bags each with nothing in it.
You have nothing.
80x0 = 0