Yes, she votes, as do millions just like her
(media.scored.co)
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I've seen people claim pre-1917 methods would give you the "1" answer, but it - assuming we're not all crazy - went on well past that. Pretty sure I was also taught what you're talking about and, and I think I was like top 3% in SAT mathematics too, although it's been ages. No graduate level stuff, but I'd say I'm decent (if now rusty) at math concepts.
To be fair, I'm not sure there were these kind of weird questions; it's just an odd layout, a trick.
I'm thinking something like that too. That said, I do think "9" is largely correct here, but I absolutely see the other angle too, and think it's just a bizarre equation anyway, and that's the real issue.
I think I can best describe the split as what I came up with responding to user20461. The two ways of reading it are:
A)"Six divided by the product of 2 times the sum of one plus two."
B)"Six divided by two, times the sum of one plus two."
Which of these does "6 / 2(1+2)" really say? B), what seems to be the most common modern view, invents a comma not indicated by the symbology. A) doesn't require it to be understood clearly and simply. I tie my horse to A) for clarity's sake.
WELL THEN MOTHERFUCKING PISTOLS AT DAWN SIR
I'll have to decline, for I have once again changed my mind because this equation is intentionally retarded and I keep talking myself around in circles.
The issue is this is not made to be read clearly or unambiguously, and so is worthless.
Indeed. I even went another step and found this unhelpful thing, on the wiki regarding multiplication:
"In algebra, multiplication involving variables is often written as a juxtaposition (e.g., xy for x times y or 5x for five times x), also called implied multiplication. The notation can also be used for quantities that are surrounded by parentheses (e.g., 5(2) or (5)(2) for five times two). This implicit usage of multiplication can cause ambiguity when the concatenated variables happen to match the name of another variable, when a variable name in front of a parenthesis can be confused with a function name, or in the correct determination of the order of operations."
Then it says "CITATION NEEDED," meaning THEY'RE FIGHTING ABOUT IT THERE TOO.
I'm quitting it before I develop an eye-twitch.
Watch this before you go, though. My favorite video I've seen on the topic. If the conclusions are to be believed, the confusion comes about because specifically North American teachers are retards.
PEMDAS is an oversimplified teaching tool, and not a hard and fast rule. It seemingly gets broken by juxtaposition/implied multiplication, as you mention. NA teachers actually petitioned calculator companies to switch from "PEJMDAS" (J = Juxtaposition, and moved higher in the order of operations), to PEMDAS...because they're obsessed with it. Which leads to different calculators giving different answers. The PEMDAS answers make less sense.
So I think you're correct that the most logical answer is probably "1."