This archive report was first published on 31 July 2019.
On July 31, 2019, a maths equation went viral on Twitter, sparking a heated debate among thousands of users. The equation, 8 ÷ 2 (2+2) =?, was shared by a user named Em, who posted it alongside a cartoon of a classroom with the equation written on the blackboard.
According to a mathematics professor from Oxford University, who wished to remain anonymous, the equation has been ambiguously written, leaving it open to interpretation. The professor explained that without better brackets, there can be ambiguity, and that mathematicians generally have no problems communicating with each other about things like this.
However, people on Twitter seemed to enjoy posing these kinds of problems on social media. The two most common answers people reached were one and 16, with some agreeing with TV star Bobby Berk, who retweeted Em's post and said, "It's 16 y'all." Others claimed he was wrong, with one fan saying, "Bobbers.... it’s one," and another proclaiming, "Anything other than one is absolutely wrong."
Eventually, some people gave up trying to work it out for themselves and turned to Google Calculator to find out the answer. The online tool said it's 16, which was good enough for a lot of people. But the debate continued, with some people using the BODMAS method to get 16 and others using PEMDAS to get one.
So, what do you think the answer is? Let us know in the comments below.
