Here is how people get 1, also I believe you get 16 through a contradiction, and the divided sign is a trick.
8/2(2+2) can be interpreted as 8/(2(2+2)) or (8/2)(2+2).
Here is how I would do it:
8/2(2+2)
8/2(4)
8/8 <—- I evaluated the value with the parenthesis
1
but this would assume that the fraction is 8/(2(2+2)) when it could easily be (8/2)(2+2) so the basis of the riddle is upon an uncertainty that you cannot fix through plantext.
5 Comments on "Seemingly Simple Math"
Mark W says
September 1, 2019 @ 22:43
Hi Dan,
Like you, I arrived at the answer: 1.
Simply because to equal 16, I believe the equation would have to be set out as:
(8 ÷ 2) (2 + 2) ?
Love your puzzles, thanks!
Will J says
September 30, 2019 @ 13:58
I don’t know how you come up with 1….I get 16 all day
8÷2(2+2)=
8÷2(4)=
4(4)=
4*4=
16
Wyatt A. Johnson says
February 9, 2021 @ 16:12
Here is how people get 1, also I believe you get 16 through a contradiction, and the divided sign is a trick.
8/2(2+2) can be interpreted as 8/(2(2+2)) or (8/2)(2+2).
Here is how I would do it:
8/2(2+2)
8/2(4)
8/8 <—- I evaluated the value with the parenthesis
1
but this would assume that the fraction is 8/(2(2+2)) when it could easily be (8/2)(2+2) so the basis of the riddle is upon an uncertainty that you cannot fix through plantext.
qwrty says
March 4, 2021 @ 02:25
R you kidding? I got 4!!!
turtle says
September 4, 2021 @ 00:58
8w ÷ 2 (2w+2w) would be = 1 …. not 16w^2
Put me down for 1
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