This math equation is driving Twitterati up the wall and back to school

Maths, that dreaded subject, has divided a lot of people into liking or hating it.

It is either really easy for some or ‘bang your head on the desk’ for others.

Twitter has been set abuzz after one person posted a maths equation online, asking Twitteratis to solve it (he called them oomfies but we don’t know what that means).

oomfies solve this pic.twitter.com/0RO5zTJjKk

— ❦ (@pjmdolI) July 28, 2019

8/2(2+2) = ?

It has, once again, divided the crowds. Some people are saying they got 16 as the answer, others say 1. It’s ‘The Dress’ all over again. (We saw gold and white and we are now back down on that front).

Back to the equation. To solve this math problem, you need to remember your fifth standard mathematics classes. BODMAS. When solving math equations that have a bracket, the rules of BODMAS says that the Bracket needs to be solved first. Then you go on to solve the Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction. Some people might have learnt it as PEDMAS which is also the same thing and it stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction.

When you use this method to solve it, you get the answer 16.

However, if you use a mechanical calculator, you get 1.

The difference in the answers has created two camps and alot of abuses are being hurtled at each other, online.

We are neutral.

Here are some reactions that we found funny and some well thought out explanations:

It's either 1 or 16 depending on which mathematician you listen to, because order of operations isn't a hard and fast rule, and math is really just a language.

And nothing is true. pic.twitter.com/d324s8grlA

— Find Nome on Bluesky (@NomeDaBarbarian) July 30, 2019

There you go Twitter pic.twitter.com/6zzL3ZqMrn

— 🇦🇴乃я𝓊𝓝σ 𝓈ᵃᶰт𝐎丂🇦🇴 (@brunojrsantos1) August 1, 2019

jesus is always the answer 😇😇😇😇😇😇

— s (@jineffably) July 28, 2019

Also it is important to know that multiplication and division have no precedence over one another, so you operate whichever comes first from the left. This means you divide the 8 by 2 first and then multiply the answer (here, 4) by the 4 in the parentheses. The only answer is 16.

— 🅃🅄🅃🄾🅁🄱🄴🄴🅂 (@tutorbees) August 1, 2019

There was another debate going on parallel to this!

Gosh damnit people, it’s not pemdas vs bodmas, they’re the same thing. multiplication = division and addition = subtraction, then you simply go left to right in order. there is no debate, there is only one correct answer, 16. eliminate the division and calculate: 8 x .5 x 4 = 16 pic.twitter.com/IQpRAwAJYG

— Gerrad Marsh (@oh_my_grod) August 1, 2019

The best answer

PVR was quick

An equation that can never go wrong! #BODMAS pic.twitter.com/JdLgCgqrGj

— PVR INOX Pictures (@PicturesPVR) August 1, 2019

And so as YouTube

Netflix is usually epic

Quick Math problem.

(Number of years you can travel forward/backwards in DARK)÷ (Millie Bobby Brown's character in Stranger Things)+ (number of thumbs Sartaj currently has)x (Shah Rukh Khan movie where he eventually goes to Mars) = ? #BODMAS

— Netflix India (@NetflixIndia) July 31, 2019

Gotta give it to Penguin, they were creative

The BODMAS we're currently most interested in ♥️ pic.twitter.com/gyZ79G3q12

— Penguin India (@PenguinIndia) July 31, 2019

When maths fluency really counts

Move over #BODMAS , this is some serious business. pic.twitter.com/TI56wTJerE

— Freecharge (@Freecharge) July 31, 2019