If you suffer from mathematical anxiety, which is basically like a math-induced phobia, you may want to take a deep breath before you try to solve this problem. The seemingly simple equation below has managed to stump people left and right and social media users are divided over what the correct answer happens to be. Take a moment to work through it yourself and see what answer you come up with:
6 ÷ 2(1+2) =
The vast majority of people end up with an answer of either 1 or 9. Some even think it is 0, 3, or even 6, but if you came up with any of those three numbers, you’re wrong and way off! However, the reason why 9 and 1 are given as the main answers for this problem comes down to how people were taught to do math. However, in the end only one answer can be correct and if you came up with 9 then congratulations, you solved it!
So why has this equation caused so much confusion that its managed to go viral!? According to Presh Talwalkar, the man behind the YouTube channel Mind Your Decisions which posted the explanation, there is an ‘old’ way and a ‘new’ way to approach the problem. Depending on which method you use, you will end up with either 1 doing it the old way, or 9 doing it the modern way. Check out his video for a much more thorough and complete explanation of each step and see if you agree with what’s being asserted. Despite the comprehensive run through, it looks like a lot of people are still confused and arguing over what the correct answer is in the comments!
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