Math Problem Causes Controversy As People Disagree How To Solve It

The internet is brimming with puzzles that have left many perplexed and engaged

in heated debates over their true solutions. A prime example is the notorious

blue-and-black dress that captivated social media and puzzled experts alike.

Similarly, a viral math problem has sparked intense discussions among workplaces and even scientists.

In a tweet from 2019, a user challenged their followers with a now-infamous equation:

8 ÷ 2(2 + 2). This seemingly simple problem ignited a full-scale debate,

not only on Twitter but across various social media platforms

.One expert explained that the standard approach taught in elementary and high school

is based on the widely known rule “PEMDAS,” which stands for “Parentheses, Exponents,

Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction.” According to this rule, equations

should be solved in the order dictated by the acronym—starting with operations

inside parentheses, followed by exponents, and continuing from left to right.

In this case, the expression inside the parentheses, 2 + 2, should be calculated first,

resulting in 4. This simplifies the equation to 8 ÷ 2 × 4. Next, as clarified by Mashup Math,

the leftmost operation should be addressed first. This means solving 8 ÷ 2 before 2 × 4,

even though multiplication typically takes precedence over division.

The result of that division is 4, leading to the expression 4 × 4, which equals 16.

However, about half of the people online, including some mathematicians and scientists, disagree with this approach.

The other half of the experts argued that the answer is 1. How did they arrive

at this conclusion? They also applied “PEMDAS,” but interpreted it differently.

They agreed that the 2 + 2 in the parentheses should be solved first,

but then treated the sum as if it were part of a multiplication, resulting

in 8 ÷ 2(4). One editor noted that in his math classes, a multiplication

operation within parentheses takes precedence over division, even if it appears earlier in the equation.

As the debate continued to captivate the internet, mathematicians and scientists weighed in.

Mike Breen from the American Mathematical Society’s Public Awareness Office stated that,

according to the order of operations, 16 is the correct answer. However,

he acknowledged that the way the equation is written makes it inherently “ambiguous.”

To avoid all doubt, for him, the question should have been correctly written

like this 8/(2*(2+2)), which would yield the quotient of 1.