A simple math problem is going viral on Twitter, and nobody seems to agree on how to solve it. It’s now causing arguments everywhere — including right here at the BuzzFeed offices. Let’s break it down.
It all started when Twitter user @pjmdoll shared this (seemingly) easy math problem, and asked their followers to figure out the answer:
oomfies solve this pic.twitter.com/0RO5zTJjKk
— ❦ (@pjmdolI) July 28, 2019
And even CALCULATORS can’t agree on the right answer here.
Okay. So. WHAT the heck is going on here? Well, you probably remember PEMDAS (or BEDMAS, or BODMAS, depending on where you grew up). PEMDAS gives us a clear order for solving equations: Parentheses, then Exponents, then Multiplication/Division, and then Addition/Subtraction. Stay with me!!!!
So, in this equation, everyone agrees that the first step is to solve the stuff inside the parentheses. 2+2 = 4. Easy!
But others believe you should do the “8 ÷ 2” part first, since the parentheses around the “4” connote MULTIPLICATION. In PEMDAS, division and multiplication are at the same level. And therefore, you would just go from left to right…
