Have you ever stumbled upon a math problem online that left you baffled? If so, you’re in good company. A few years ago, one particular math equation went viral, sparking heated debates among everyone from everyday people to scientists.
The equation seemed straightforward: 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2). However, when people attempted to solve it, they arrived at different answers, igniting a social media frenzy. The big question was: what is the correct answer to this puzzling equation?
One camp, including editors from Popular Mechanics, claimed the answer was 16. They followed the PEMDAS rule (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction), solving the equation step by step. First, they handled the parentheses, getting 4. Then, dividing 8 by 2 resulted in 4, and multiplying that by 4 gave them 16.
However, another group, including other editors from Popular Mechanics, argued the answer was 1. While they also used PEMDAS, they interpreted it differently.
They solved the parentheses first but treated the sum as if it were inside additional parentheses: 8 ÷ 2(4). In their view, multiplication took precedence over division, so dividing 8 by 2 gave 4, which they then multiplied by 4, resulting in 1.
As the debate escalated, experts weighed in. Mike Breen from the American Mathematical Society stated that, according to the order of operations, 16 is technically correct but acknowledged the equation’s ambiguity. Physics Professor Rhett Allain added that it might have been clearer if written as 8/(2*(2+2)), which would yield 1.
In the end, the viral math problem revealed that there isn’t always one right answer. Different interpretations led to different solutions, showing that, like spelling “gray” or “grey,” math can sometimes be open to interpretation. So, the next time you face a confusing math problem, remember that ambiguity can be part of the challenge.
