Something funny about everyone being so eager to show how they can solve this
I dunno
Submitted 3 months ago by LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone to science_memes@mander.xyz
https://piefed.cdn.blahaj.zone/posts/Ao/vN/AovNhRmmeHwHDFK.jpg
Comments
Saapas@piefed.zip 3 months ago
crmsnbleyd@sopuli.xyz 3 months ago
Let’s not do engagement bait here 😭
skisnow@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
I don’t know how we’ve managed to get to 2025 and there’s still apparently people who haven’t seen a thousand shit PEMDAS posts already
SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
#BEDMAS squad reporting for duty
half_built_pyramids@lemmy.world 3 months ago
There’s billions of people, literally billions of them, and the vast majority do not care about niche online culture. I see you, though.
nialv7@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Precedences are just made up social constructs, don’t let the system restrict you, you can evaluate this expression however you want. Go wild.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 3 months ago
37
nekbardrun@lemmy.world 3 months ago
2585?
or maybe 258(-)5 = -2585?
Wait…
258 -5 = 253! thats it!!!
Little8Lost@lemmy.world 3 months ago
DarrinBrunner@lemmy.world 3 months ago
My education system didn’t fail me, I failed it.
cmhe@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I don’t get why these kind of post crop up so often.
The answer to them doesn’t matter and these aren’t really math questions, because there is no context given. This is just endless discussions about different people having different assumptions on notation used there…
In real math, where the numbers mean something, good and consistent notation is important, but not necessary, because the order of operations or what those operations are exactly would be clear through the context of these formulas. Good notation just makes it easier to spot errors, work with formulas or to avoid confusion.
Here is what I would assume this formula could mean. Someone has 2 apples and 5 bags of apples that initially came with 8 apples each inside, but someone else ate 5 apples from each of these bags.
With this context it is pretty clear what the answer would be.
silver_wings_of_morning@feddit.dk 3 months ago
Any PEMDAS enjoyers in chat?
Karjalan@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I assume p is for “parentheses”, because where I grew up it was BEDMAS, for brackets.
NotSteve_@piefed.ca 3 months ago
I was taught BEDMAS as well in school (Ontario, Canada)
lillardfair@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Blease Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally
JargonWagon@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Yes, indeed - it encompasses parantheses, brackets, and braces.
ViperActual@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
2+5(8-5)
For anyone wanting to see a different way of solving it with distribution:
2+58-55 2+40-25 42-25 17
So long as you follow the basic math rules, you can solve it in many different ways to get the same result.
sin_free_for_00_days@sopuli.xyz 3 months ago
With formatting fixed:
2+5*8-5*5 2+40-25 42-25 17
ViperActual@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Haha thanks, totally forgot about the markdown
CheesyFox@lemmy.sdf.org 3 months ago
use backslashes pefore asterisks so that the markdown parser won’t think you inted to write in italics
*like that* *like that*
Khanzarate@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Worth a reminder that *'s get converted to italics. At first I saw the 2+58-55 and was very concerned for your education.
Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 months ago
2+5 is 8, 8-5 is 3. 8×3 is 24.
poke@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
2+5=8 quick maths (please don’t fix it, thanks. Hope you’re having a good one)
PhAzE@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
[deleted]Kolanaki@pawb.social 3 months ago
So, brackets: (8-3) is 5, Multiplication: 5×5 is 25, addition: 25+2 is 27? 🤔
MattW03@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Let’s keep it easy. There’s 2 + all the other number who results in 15 = 17.
Someone may mistake by doing 2+5 then the rest of the operation, resulting in 21.
HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Could also fuck up and get 51
vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
(* (+ 2 5) (+ 2 5))
Hope some LISP can clear this up
merc@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
So, if
2 5 8 5 - × +is “RPN” does that mean that the LISP version is Polish Notation?yboutros@infosec.pub 3 months ago
Is this a meme? Shouldn’t it be
( + 2 ( * 5 ( - 8 5 ) ) )
vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
Damn you are right haha.
Mine evals to 21.
Reginald_T_Biter@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Explain yourself sir
vala@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
This is called “prefix notation”. The operator comes before the operands and every expression goes in parentheses.
For instance you could write:
(+ 1 2 3 4)
Which would evaluate to 10.
This syntax is from a family of programming languages usually called LISP.
x4740N@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Its because its
2+5×(8−5)
My calculator app automatically added it when typing in what was I’m the image and “2+5×(8−5)” does equal 17
It’s absolutely the fault of the person making the social media media post for not writing it properly and confusing people
AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
I have some bad news for you about your education system
odelik@lemmy.today 3 months ago
The multiplication is implied and has been part of the standard mathematical notation for far longer than any of us have been alive.
BattleGrown@lemmy.world 3 months ago
5(8-5) is perfectly fine, it’s like saying 5 apples
axx@slrpnk.net 3 months ago
What du you mean, not writing it properly?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 months ago
it’s
a badly
written
math
problem
Seriously, every time this comes up and everyone makes a huge deal out of it, I keep thinking, “none of the people writing these better be teachers.” You have to be more clear than this.
lime@feddit.nu 3 months ago
how should it have been written?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Nope, you’re right. I just read the words and assumed it was one of the terrible ones.
This one is just…math.
BehindTheBarrier@programming.dev 3 months ago
Not this one, there is no ambiguity here. Order of operations are all good.
Quatlicopatlix@feddit.org 3 months ago
Yea that is true but a lot of these questions use the division sign when they should just use a fraction and everything would have been easy to understand. If i see the devision sign and there are more than 2 elements like x=a÷b+5 i cry because if they just used x=a/(b+5) or x=a/b +5 it is just visible no ambiguity. (a/b as in a over b, idk how to do fractions on the phone if you know tell me!)
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 months ago
You’re right. I honestly just assumed it was one of those intentionally engagement-baiting posts when I saw it and didn’t even process the problem itself.
VoterFrog@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I think it’s reasonable if you consider the kind of physical situation it might represent.
You visit a farm and there are 2 unpackaged apples. There are also 5 packages that hold 8 apples but 5 have been removed from each. How many apples are there?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 months ago
In fairness, this one isn’t nearly as bad as most of the ambiguous problems that get passed around on Facebook with multiple parentheticals and such.
Your word problem is excellent.
BetterDev@programming.dev 3 months ago
no
it’s
fucking
not
This is just basic algebra, this is actually how the problems in algebra I are written. What the fuck?
ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Whoa, you went from 0 to 100 on rage super quick. You ok buddy?
nomorebillboards@lemmy.world 3 months ago
But 2 + 5 + 8 - 5 is 16 - 5 which is 11
buddascrayon@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Parentheses first then Division or Multiplication then add or subtract. PEDMAS
8-5= 3 3*5=15 15+2=17
untorquer@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Gotta distribute:
2+(8+5)-(5+5)
2+13-0
15
RedAggroBest@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Still not how distribution works. That would be:
2+((85)-(55))
2+(40-25)
2+(15)
17
Anything other than 17 is wrong. No matter how you go about your multiplication step.
axx@slrpnk.net 3 months ago
Wtf, no, if you distribute you get the same result:
2 + 5(8 - 5) =
2 + (5 × 8) + (5 × -5) =
2 + (40) + (-25) =
2 + 40 - 25 = 2 + 15 = 17
Xylight@feddit.online 3 months ago
My dumbahh did 2+5 like it was in parentheses and got 21
banshee@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I’m sorry but isn’t this elementary school math?
BanMe@lemmy.world 3 months ago
It became a meme a few years ago, people would post problems like this and argue about whose was right, as if there were no objective truth. It hurt to watch.
kuberoot@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months ago
Arguably, there is no objective truth, since the symbols and rules of mathematics are assigned arbitrarily, and are basically a social contract, just like language!
…Wait, that means there’s no objective meaning of “objective”, crap
bountygiver@lemmy.ml 3 months ago
ya this one is super unambiguously PEMDAS, the one that has more of an argument is the one with the division of whether
a/bcisa / (b * c)or(a / b) * c
untorquer@lemmy.world 3 months ago
We didn’t learn elements until high school tbf
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
In the rest of the world: yes.
In the US: I highly doubt it.
This is just basic math, if you can’t figure this out you’re probably 8 years old.
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
Probably some backwards-ass red state / red town shenanigans.
Math was always taught in my Blue cities. The atrocities of the US’s history was never left out of the curriculum.
We need to actually finish doing reconstruction and fix this country.
halferect@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Definitely taught in parts of the US, it’s a regional thing though
ICastFist@programming.dev 3 months ago
I think that ordering of calculation was taught around 5th grade back in my day (11yo)
M0oP0o@mander.xyz 3 months ago
In most of the world? Yes.
Triasha@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Pemdas, parenthesis first, for a total of 3. Then multiplication, 15, then addition. 17. What’s hard about this?
Hawanja@lemmy.world 3 months ago
What’s hard about it is people are fucking stupid.
TheKingBee@lemmy.world 3 months ago
No, it’s written poorly to drive engagement. People read left to right and try to do math that way too, but if you want to be mean to people who don’t remember things they learned in elementary school then never applied in real life you write it like this.
(8-5)5-2
Far easier for most people, but then you don’t get the arguments…
baines@lemmy.cafe 3 months ago
you go the other direction below the equator
TonyTonyChopper@mander.xyz 3 months ago
Isn’t the southern hemisphere above the equator if you live there
Bakkoda@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Legit gave me pause for like half a second. Damnit lol
AquaTofana@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I fucking suck at math and totally just re-proved it to myself with this problem lmao.
It didn’t make sense to me to multiply the 3 & the 5 with zero consideration for the “2”. I have ALWAYS struggled with the steps to solve these types of equations.
So the answer I got was 21. Some of us are just bad with numbers, I s’pose.
Triasha@lemmy.world 3 months ago
If you don’t remember pemdas, you can use the longer P.lease E.xcuse M.y D.ear A.unt S.ally.
BCsven@lemmy.ca 3 months ago
Its order of operations, to get rid of brackets do the internal, then the 5 tells you there was 5 sets of the amount in brackets. Rather than 2+5 first.
Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
That’s the answer I arrived at as well, don’t feel so bad. I’m more of a writer than a calculator, though.
mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de 3 months ago
This is absolutely not a problem of being bad with numbers. That’s like if I had trouble reading a Chinese sentence about gardening and said I’m just bad with plants. My issue is that I’m not familiar with the notation used to explain the concept - not a problem with the concept itself that the notation merely arbitrarily symbolizes.
Being good or bad at math is not really an inherent thing, aside from some geniuses and some people with disabilities. If you want to be good at math, you can be!
borari@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
The numbers in the equation and their totals are completely irrelevant to the order you perform the operations.
I don’t think it’s an issue of “being bad with numbers”, I think the issue is not understanding the logic or being able to understand the bottom up type of thinking or something.
WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 3 months ago
That’s so evil and subtle. It took me multiple attempts to figure it out. You have to have quite the sharp eye to realize: no, you do not stop at calculating the numbers in parantesis first. You don’t add the resulting numbers, there is no +/- operator, so the number in parantesis is the power of the number before it. But wait! if You calculated 2+5 = 7 * 3 and hot 21, you are wrong. Remember that multiplication goes first, so it’s: 2+5(8-5) = 2+5*3=2+15=17
Sertou@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Or it simply could be that I haven’t needed to concern myself with the order of operations more than a dozen times since high school. Even when working as a web coder it was so seldom necessary that I can’t recall a single example.
The US education system was still pretty decent when I was in middle and high school in the 1980s, so we definitely covered this in algebra.
Paradachshund@lemmy.today 3 months ago
The high-and-mightiness quotient in this thread is reaching critical levels
PlexSheep@infosec.pub 3 months ago
This is an antimeme
brown567@sh.itjust.works 3 months ago
2 5 8 5 - × + for you RPN fans =)
MrSmith@lemmy.world 3 months ago
To all the people yelling PEMDAS and BOMBDAS or whatever - languages other than English exist.
jjjalljs@ttrpg.network 3 months ago
I got some people really angry at me when I suggested writing some math expression with parenthesis so it would be clearer. I think someone told me that order of operations is like a natural law and not a convention, and thus everyone should know it or be able to figure it out.
Digit@lemmy.wtf 3 months ago
Hrmm.
I read that as resulting in 21.
My education system did fail me.
I plugged that into ghci as 5+2*(8-5), and it says 17.
:(
I did (5+2)*(8-5).
Doh.
jaykrown@lemmy.world 3 months ago
DaMonsterKnees@lemmy.world 3 months ago
I’m not seeing a single mention of My Dear Aunt Sally. The youth are lost…
Tithen@anarchist.nexus 3 months ago
Was anyone else ever taught it as BOMDAS as opposed to BODMAS?
SereneSadie@quokk.au 3 months ago
Gonna keep shouting until it sticks;
Put a goddamn function sign for the parenthesis. Don’t assume everyone just knows what to do with the parenthesis alone. Fml it bugs me every time this meme gets posted.
Kenny2999@lemmy.world 3 months ago
Syntax error
Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 months ago
You have to subtract the numbers with the most flat sides first and divide by the number of pennies in your sock drawer.