Brain Teaser

[pmccarthy]

Zero

[onetrack]

13 hours ago, red750 said:

The phrase above was "A BRIEF OVERVIEW". Not easy, but you've got to pick the right letters to help guess the answer.

 

O.K. - but that phrase contains only two or three of the letters along the bottom. What was the point of those letters? Just to lead you astray?

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

11 hours ago, red750 said:

But a lot of people process left to right and get 58.

BODMAS (something like it)... 

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Now you have the posts up, finish the fence.

[red750]

14 hours ago, pmccarthy said:

Zero

Sorry, the answer is -3. The exclamatiom mark indicates factors of 3.

 

 

So 3! = 3x2x1  = 6. If the number had been 5, 5! = 5x4x3x2x1.

 

Therefore the question becomes 50/50 +2-6   or 1 +2-6 = -3

[red750]

10 hours ago, Jerry_Atrick said:

BODMAS (something like it)... 

Yes. BODMAS or some say PEMDAS. The order or ranking of processing.

 

BODMAS means Brackets, Order, Division, Multiplication and, Addition and Subtraction

PEMDAS means Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), and Addition and Subtraction (from left to right). Multiplication and division have equal ranking, as do addition and subtraction. These equal operations are done left to right.

 

So, in effect, calculate the brackets first. then the exponents (squared, cubed etc.) then multiplications or divisions, and finally additions and subtractions.

 

In the example 12+9÷3x2+(7+5)-4!, you do the brackets first and the factor,     4! = 4x3x2x1x=24 , so it can be expressed as 12+9÷3x2+12-24, then the division 9÷3=3 and multiplication 3x2=6 so it becomes 12+6+12-24, then process left to right, giving 6. That's the way kids are taught today.

[red750]

I've corrected your stuttering, Jerry.

[facthunter]

And they can't even handle change from a Note at the checkout. Nev

[Jerry_Atrick]

3 hours ago, red750 said:

I've corrected your stuttering, Jerry.

Must have been a javascript error.. I closed the browser down as the submit button didn't seem to be working after a few clicks

[red750]

An example of BODMAS or PEMDAS

 

 

Brackets first.              15-3 =12

Multiplication               12x2 = 24

Division                         8÷4 = 2

So the simplified equasion is 24+ 2 = 26.

 

People sometimes ask, why do it that way. Here is an example.

 

Suppose an apple cost 10c, an orange 8c and a banana 5c.

 

If you buy 1 apple, 1 orange and 3 bananas, do you want to pay 10c +8c + 5c x3 (33c) or

10c + 8c + 5c (23c) x3 = 69c