Basic Arithmetic

I saw this picture on facebook. It's a basic math problem. I glanced at the comments section and I was absolutely SHOCKED at how many wrong answers there were. I mean, I get it, people don't like math, sometimes people make minor mechanical errors but we're talking addition, multiplication, and division, being executed with about a 30% success rate by like 900 adults, and people are actually ARGUING their incorrect answers after having the correct answer explained to them.

I'm in complete disbelief. I'm having a hard time believing it. I can understand a little slip up, but I'm talking about people solving the problem incorrectly and calling other people dumbasses with confidence.

So of course, I am asking everyone to solve this problem now, because I need to see if this is the reality of the situation, that like 30% of the adult population knows how to multiply and divide single digits. Here's the problem, solve it:

6-1x0+2/2

If you fail to solve this problem, I will be silently judging you very harshly.

7

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Posted by george112

7

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That's what I got if 2/2 is equal to 1 like I thought. Wasn't sure if it was a typo or not

I also answer 7.

Lucky Number 7.

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Posted by Aether

Here's the problem, solve it:

6-1x0+2/2

If you fail to solve this problem, I will be silently judging you very harshly.

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Applied Math 9 (freshman retard math as it was often referred to in school) hasn't failed me in any consequential walk of life yet. If I'm not mistaken multiplication and division take precedence when there are no parenthesis. Pretty sure it should look like this: 6-(1x0)+(2/2)=7.

But I'm gonna put it like this- You wanna go all elitest and start throwing letters in the mix... Well, we're probably going to have a scrap on our hands at that point. Cause I won't stand for that shit.

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Posted by bojangalz

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Posted by Aether

Here's the problem, solve it:

6-1x0+2/2

If you fail to solve this problem, I will be silently judging you very harshly.

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Applied Math 9 (freshman retard math as it was often referred to in school) hasn't failed me in any consequential walk of life yet. If I'm not mistaken multiplication and division take precedence when there are no parenthesis. Pretty sure it should look like this: 6-(1x0)+(2/2)=7.

But I'm gonna put it like this- You wanna go all elitest and start throwing letters in the mix... Well, we're probably going to have a scrap on our hands at that point. Cause I won't stand for that shit.

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This thread makes me feel slightly better about the state of humanity. You can all join my on my island when the morons overrun the Earth.

For the record, on the original post, at least half of the answers were 1. There was also a healthy support group for 5 and a small contingent of 3.5 supporters.

Not exaggerating when I say the % of correct answers is somewhere around 30-40%, even with multiple detailed explanations of the correct answer.

6 - (1 x 0) + 2/2

More people would get it right if it were written like this, but I guess that defeats the purpose.

How were they coming up with 5?

Seems like they were thinking anything times 0 is 0 so they figured 1 was all that remained

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Posted by Gogoplatapus

6 - (1 x 0) + 2/2

More people would get it right if it were written like this, but I guess that defeats the purpose.

How were they coming up with 5?

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I've gone through the chain of logic for each of them, I'm pretty sure this is what they're doing to get 5:

(6-1) x ( 0 + 2/2) which reduces to 5 x 1.

I'll admit it, I calculated 1 the first time, but I understand why it is 7. I'm no math dummy it has just been a long time and for some reason I was thinking order of operands only matter within parenthesis.

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Posted by BelXavier420

I'll admit it, I calculated 1 the first time, but I understand why it is 7. I'm no math dummy it has just been a long time and for some reason I was thinking order of operands only matter within parenthesis.

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Well like I said at the start, I get that people will randomly make errors or have a lapse in memory, but the thread I'm talking about, man it's crazy, here's a real post:

"It's 1 you dumbasses !!!"

or, (responding to someone who correctly explained the process step by step)

"What highschool did you go to!? lol, it's 1!"

That's what really blows my mind. When someone explains the correct answer, and they don't go "oops, made a mistake!"

"Germund Hagström There's no paranthese's so the answer is 1. So for all of u who claims it to be 7 u clearly missed something in school."

"Erase this thread out of embarrassment... 7? Are u on the moon?!!"

"its 5... you're all fucking idiots"

"I see everyone talking about order of operations, but not doing them in the right order. If you do orders of operations correctly6-0+1=-5."

Yeah that's right, 6 + 1 = -5

After reading an explanation on how to calculate it properly. Just to give people an idea of what I mean.

I avoid reading comments on most sites. I have no bigger pet peeve than "Stupid" people. I'm not saying those that do not know the answer are "stupid." I am saying those that think they know the answer, are clearly wrong, but treat others as though they are "stupid" are the "stupid" ones.

P.S. I do not know why I used " " around stupid. I guess it seems less harsh.

Ya that is the same group of people who think the earth is 2012 years old since that is the current year.

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"I see everyone talking about order of operations, but not doing them in the right order. If you do orders of operations correctly6-0+1=-5."

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whats arithmetic

I will admit I had 1 at first, but I firmly blame the lack of parentheses for making me throw the order of operations out the window.

Did anyone explain to these people to the Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally trick?

About a million times. There are all kinds of posts where people explain the orders of operation, followed by a big string of 1s and 5s. I was having a good laugh and making fun of people while I was stuck at work, but I've become bored of it now.

On another note, I never learned this aunt sally thing, I read it a bunch of times in the thread, I was always taught BEDMAS, Brackets instead of Parenthesis.

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Posted by Aether

I was always taught BEDMAS, Brackets instead of Parenthesis.

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yeah, the Canadian way is much easier

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Posted by bojangalz

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Posted by Aether

Here's the problem, solve it:

6-1x0+2/2

If you fail to solve this problem, I will be silently judging you very harshly.

---

Applied Math 9 (freshman retard math as it was often referred to in school) hasn't failed me in any consequential walk of life yet. If I'm not mistaken multiplication and division take precedence when there are no parenthesis. Pretty sure it should look like this: 6-(1x0)+(2/2)=7.
.

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Haha I did the same thing in NZ, but we called it Vege Math. Rather mean now when I look back

I got 3.5 the first time, then took everyone's word that it was 7. I knew I had to do it in a different order, and I remembered BEDMAS, but I forgot what it stood for.

I have never used half the shit they taught me in math class

In Texas we use PEMDAS

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Posted by george112

In Texas we use PEMDAS

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I've always stood by PEMDAS. Even without grouping the terms, it should be fairly obvious using pemdas. Unfortunately, being numerically illiterate is socially acceptable, whereas reading illiteracy is not...there really shouldn't be much of a difference.

I got 7 too...but I thought you were going to ask about a math problem that I also saw going around that I thought was even easier:
5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 + 5 - 5 + 5 * 0?

In the end, it probably doesn't matter how easy the problem is if it involves the order of operations rule(s). There's always going to be people who forget them (or never bothered to memorize them in the first place).

My wife is disappointed. She is a math teacher, and was shocked how many people have gotten this wrong. She has also posted this on her facebook page to see what her friends answer.

Well I feel your wife's pain.

Her friends aren't faring so well either. Out of 10 so far, 3 have answered correctly.