Sometimes things are not at easy at it might seem. Almost all of us ( the so called literate people ) know the basics of Mathematics very well and the knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is kind of four fundamental pillars of Mathematics. but what if I say, you may not able to solve this very simple problem of math which only involves three of them. The question is:
According to YouTube Channel “MindYourDecisions” , This problem went viral in Japan after a study found 60 percent of 20 somethings could get the correct answer. In a similar study that was conducted in 1980s, the success rate was 90 percent. Let me explain a common mistake and how to get the correct answer by using the order of operations.
The culprit behind this problem. Probably the increased use of calculators. They are on every phone and that makes it easy for students to rely on them to find an answer to a simple math problem like the one above. However, enter this simple question into a calculator and it will give you the wrong answer.
So what makes it difficult to get the correct answer? Most probably, the main culprit is the increased use of calculators in our lives. They are on every phone and hence makes it easy for students to rely on them to find an answer to a simple math problem like the one above. However, in this case, try to enter this simple question into a calculator and I bet, you will get the wrong answer 🙂
Is this really simple? In fact yes. This problem is really simple but if you know the Order of Operations, a math skill taught in the 3rd grade. If you don’t remember learning the order of operations in school, let’s revise it now.
Order of Operations (PEMDAS):
- Parenthesis ( )
- Exponents x^2
- Multiplication / Division
- Addition / Subtraction
One very important point to remember here is in the case of multiplication and division or addition and subtraction, the operation should be done from the left to the right.
Let’s watch a really good explanatory video to solve this problem. This video went viral too 🙂
