re: Bizarre Math Question and Answer breaks the internet - Sorry if already posted

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How can someone state in one sentence that math is solved left to right, then literally in the next sentence say that it has nothing to do with the left to right orientation .

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Because we aren't debating whether the problem is solved left to right; we are debating whether there is an implied parentheses that would impact those "exceptions" I noted in that same statement.

288 is a superior answer because it doesn't require any additional assumptions (i.e., an implied parantheses). It's Occam's Razor.

I can see your argument and how you state there is a superior answer (somewhat). But my stance is there is no such thing as a superior answer in math. There is a right answer (some equations are allowed multiple right answers. Not like this case. More like sqrt(4) can be 2 and -2). This question is written in a way that requires assumptions to be made. Occam's Razor is not a law that is required to solve equations. It is a method. I can see that you can use it to say your answer is better. But I can say that the answer 2 is better because it takes less syllables to say.

I like to argue and I'm on a business trip in a hotel by myself. If you'd be as dead set on the number 2 as you are on 288, I'd be arguing 288

Multiplication and division are equal in the order therefore you go left to right. The division comes before the multiplication in the problem given. 288

2

It's fricking black and blue

It was white and gold

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The flaw in your logic is that you feel you must perform operations left to right.

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I guess we'll have to disagree. Arithmetic is solved left to right when written left to right.

Just as arabic arithmetic is written right to left and solved right to left.

Reverse Polish notation or nothing at all!

So I decided to look at this a different way that I don't think I've seen anyone bring up yet. See work below:



Rewriting the problem as an equation, and knowing that the variable should equal 12 (x=9+3=12), 2 is the correct answer. frick this problem

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Any rational reading of this 'problem' would assign precedence to the 2(9+3) notation rather than blindly following PEMDAS.

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I don't agree with you here. You can't say the problem is ambiguous and then say only one way (your way) of reading it is rational.

Like I said in my first post in this thread, it can be answered with either 288 or 2 as written because it is poorly written but there will be lots of pages of argument anyway.