At first glance it seems like school-level math. So why is this seemingly simple equation dividing the Internet? Posted by a Twitter user on Monday, 8 divided by 2(2+2) is the equation in question. Since being shared online, it has gone viral with over 12,000 ‘likes’ and thousands of comments. People can’t agree on the correct answer.
Can you solve it? Take a look:
oomfies solve this pic.twitter.com/0RO5zTJjKk
— em ♥︎ (@pjmdolI) July 28, 2019
Were you able to solve the equation? Did your answer come down to either 16 or 1?
Well, that’s where the trouble begins. Tweeple can’t seem to agree upon the correct answer.
(2+2) = 4
8/2 = 4
4(4) = 16— em! (@jimnlvr) July 28, 2019
(2+2) 4
8/2(4)
According to PEMDAS you need to get rid of parathenses first so
2(4)=8
8/8=1 answer is one.— koook (@SoWhAT9000) July 28, 2019
i have 2 math degrees it’s 1
— laur♏️ (@lauram_williams) July 30, 2019
it’s 16 and if you say otherwise start packing your clown shoes ?
— karla (@svhobi) July 29, 2019
So why is this happening? According to one Twitter user, the answer depends on which mathematician you listen to:
It's either 1 or 16 depending on which mathematician you listen to, because order of operations isn't a hard and fast rule, and math is really just a language.
And nothing is true. pic.twitter.com/d324s8grlA
— ??Moon-faced Assassin of Joy?? (@NomeDaBarbarian) July 30, 2019
More simply put, the answer depends on whether you were taught the BODMAS or the PEMDAS method at school.
