Surely I am not wrong here - maths equation

[Munchkin]

4 x 4 + 4 x 4 + 4 - 4 x 4 = ?

This one is going around on fb and it says 73% of people get it wrong. The comments seem fairly well divided with maybe a few more leaning towards one particular answer (and a few random answers that make no sense at all!). My dad has a different opinion of the answer and insists that I am wrong.

Without telling you what my answer is.....please answer. Curious to see the answers here

 

[geoffw]

I get 20.

There's a number of variants of this floating around on FB. The important thing is the precedence of operators.

 

[DaveM]

Order of operations, bracket it out

(4 x 4) + (4 x 4) + 4 - (4 x 4)

16 + 16 + 4 - 16 = 20

Shows that 73% of people on facebook cannot do mathematics at a year 5 level. And if you paste the sum into google, it even calculates it for you correctly as 20!

 

[luckyone]

I got 20 as well.

 

[Waldo]

Also 20. If the majority of people are getting it wrong, I'm assuming we're all wrong?

 

[Nemo30]

I got 20 too.

16 + 16 + 4 - 16 = 20

 

[wannaretire!]

I get 20 too.

 

[Richard Feynman]

If anyone is rusty, Khan Academy is fantastic, and free:

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/ar...rations/v/introduction-to-order-of-operations

 

[TurkieSub]

Brackets of Multiplication Division Addition and Subtraction BOMDAS!

 

[Munchkin]

Also 20. If the majority of people are getting it wrong, I'm assuming we're all wrong?

haha maybe the level of intelligence is just a bit higher here than facebook. 20 was my answer, and as far as I am concerned is the only correct answer.

People were arguing that BODMAS doesn't apply since there are no brackets which I thought was just stupid. But you know, enough people say one thing you start to doubt yourself even when you thought you were sure

 

[twodogs]

Yes 20, if you are not sure, just put it in an Excel formula...

=4*4+4*4+4-4*4

 

[wategos]

You´d have to be a bit dopey at maths to get that wrong. Nothing tricky about it at all.

 

[Munchkin]

Yes well that is what I thought too

 

[Nemo30]

Years ago I studied to be a primary school teacher. As part of the entrance requirements all first year student teachers had to do a maths exam (up to Yr 9 level). 80% failed!

 

[china]

This is a primary school level question.

 

[redwing]

Brackets of Multiplication Division Addition and Subtraction BOMDAS!

I was told

Brackets Indices Multiplication Division Addition Subtraction BIMDAS

Same dog though

 

[The Y-man]

Try this one then..... actually caught me out, and I even wrote it on paper afterwards watching it again and still couldn't figure it out for 10 minutes!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFVltgUzhc&list=PL0F73EE53896ED2C3


The Y-man

 

[lizzie]

I got 20 - and did it in my head ... was pretty easy

 

[Munchkin]

Try this one then..... actually caught me out, and I even wrote it on paper afterwards watching it again and still couldn't figure it out for 10 minutes!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raFVltgUzhc&list=PL0F73EE53896ED2C3


The Y-man

haha yes that is an old one

 

[Munchkin]

This is a primary school level question.

Yes well it seems a huge percentage of people do not get it.

I have always been good at math but my poor old brain is tired these days and so many people giving the wrong answer made me think maybe I was the one missing something, even though I was sure I was right (Chronic lack of sleep will do that!) My dad finally admitted he was wrong!