I think there are two different types of people in this world, those who enjoy math and those who are going to do their best to avoid it like the plague. Most of the feelings that we have about math stem from the experiences we had when we were in school. Perhaps you didn’t do well in math class or you might not have liked the way that the teacher taught the class. In either case, it can lead to a little bit of panic when you have to do any math now that you are an adult.
Of course, it really doesn’t matter if you love math or not, you might just be a person that enjoys puzzles. You might say that this math problem falls into the category of puzzles and it is very difficult to put together. It’s for an eighth grader to do and most of them can do it successfully. By the time we reach adulthood, however, most of us have forgotten the basic principles of doing math that help to make this problem relatively simple.
In order to understand the information behind the problem, it was necessary to talk to some certified math teachers. Go ahead and try it for yourself and then look down to see if you have the correct answer or not.
The math problem is: 50 + 50 – 25 x 0 + 2 + 2 = ?
The correct answer would look something like this: 50+50-25×0+2+2 = 104
What Is behind the Problem?
You can’t simply work the problem from left to right, you need to use PEMDAS. If you don’t remember that acronym, it’s the order of operations that you use in order to solve a mathematical equation. Here is a brief overview of how PEMDAS works:
PEMDAS = Parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction
The answer is that people get to this mathematical equation are all over the charts. Some are around 79 and others come in at a much lower level, such as 4. How did you do?
Here are the basic principles:
1. You first do what’s in the parentheses (in this situation, there are none)
2. Second, exponents (again, there are none)
3. Third, any multiplication or division (whichever comes first) from left to right (-25 x 0 =0)
4. You now have 50+50-0+2+2
5. Fourth, you do addition and subtraction from left to right, 50+50 = 100
6. Now you have 100-0+2+2
7. This gives you the correct answer of 104
Some math problems are very easy to solve, such as 2+2. Others include complex mathematical equations, such as the Pythagorean Theorem. In any case, it’s good for a refresher to come your way every once in a while.
