The Horrible Math Problem

[Maniac]

It's rampaging on Twitter again. More controversial than Wentz vs Foles.

6 ÷ 2(1+2) = ?

[jimbo]

Order of operations
PEMDAS

6 ÷ 2(1+2)
6 ÷ 2(3)
6 ÷ 6
1

(Foles + DeFilippo) > (Wentz + Taylor)

[Maniac]

Order of operations
PEMDAS

6 ÷ 2(1+2)
6 ÷ 2(3)
6 ÷ 6
1

(Foles + DeFilippo) > (Wentz + Taylor)

Slightly more people say 9 than 1 and both sides are quite insistent.

My understanding of PEMDAS is that multiplication and division are equivalents so 6÷2 would be resolved before 2(3) and you'd get 3*3=9.

But I don't remember seeing ÷ used once I got to Algebra and would see the problem as a fraction 6/2(1+2) and resolve the denominator 2(1+2) to 6 before dividing 6/6 = 1.

Anyway that's how I remember algebra.

[art vandelay]

Slightly more people say 9 than 1 and both sides are quite insistent.

My understanding of PEMDAS is that multiplication and division are equivalents so 6÷2 would be resolved before 2(3) and you'd get 3*3=9.

But I don't remember seeing ÷ used once I got to Algebra and would see the problem as a fraction 6/2(1+2) and resolve the denominator 2(1+2) to 6 before dividing 6/6 = 1.

Anyway that's how I remember algebra.

I want to say that if you were supposed to end up with 9, then there would be an extra pair of parentheses or brackets around 2(1+2). Something like 6 ÷ [2(1+2)]. But I kind of suck at math.