Maths Question ... : 6÷2(1+2) = ?

what's the correct answer?

 

I make it 1
(Unless this is one of those trick question of course.)

 

not a trick question .... my son says the answer is 1 ... I say it's 9

but then again, it's been said: I'm not 'too bright', but I can lift heavy things

 

How did you arrive at that??

Val

 

I'll go the other route and say 9

Then again the answer may be a Lemon

 

I would have said 9.

 

It all depends how you interpret the use of the Brackets.
If you work the bracket first and multiply with 2 you end up with 6/6
If you do 6/2 first and then use the bracket you get 3x3.

You takes your pick - and disagree with probably half the people that look at it.

 

You do the bit in the brackets first. So 1 + 2 = 3 and you get left with 6 divided by 2(3), which is 3(3). Multiply what's inside the brackets by what's outside and you get 9.

But then my maths qualifications are hardly stunning.

 

The answer is 1

 

Working this out how I was shown at school I get the answer as '1'

 

Well, maybe things have changed since the middle ages but I've just asked the oracle (Physics and Maths first class honours, swank swank) and he says the whole reason why you have brackets is to show that you complete that part of the calculation first.

 

Duh ... can you take me through that slowly, John, using no big words and a method a retarded two year old can understand? I did the bit in brackets first (answer 3). Then I did six divided by two (answer 3), which gives me 3 x 3 which makes 9.

 

Got you, John. You see, that was always my downfall. I had almost the right idea ... but not quite. I've always thought of numbers as slimy creatures that are just waiting to trip you up. My husband sees them as tools which never let him down, whereas anything to do with English Lit is to him a pile of airy-fairy poo which doesn't have any answers at all.

 

When I was at school the answer would have been 1.

Remember some teacher saying something about BODMAS

Or maybe it would be 9