Think You Have What It Takes to Solve This? Prove It.
Oh, you thought you were just going to stroll past this blog post, didn’t ya? You thought, “Oh, an easy math problem, I’ll skip that!” Alright, fine, run away. Ignore me. But just remember, curiosity is a powerful force, and this little numerical brain teaser is going to nag at you. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
The Baffling Equation
Okay, let’s set the stage. You’re sipping your morning coffee, minding your own business, and you come across this riddle:
15 – 3 × 2 + 8 ÷ 4 = 🍇
There it is, straightforward at first glance, yet hiding its true challenge like a competent magician. You laugh it off, thinking it’s no big deal. But then, shadows of doubt creep in. “Maybe this isn’t as simple as I thought,” you mumble under your breath.
The Wrong Turn
People underestimate me all the time, so I get it. But you begin, incorrectly of course, and it’ll look something like this:
15 – 3 = 12
12 × 2 = 24
24 + 8 = 32
32 ÷ 4 = 8
You feel pretty confident in your abilities, but then you remember this naggy, obscure thing called the Order of Operations. Or in layman’s terms, BODMAS.
The Almighty BODMAS
Oh, Order of Operations, you wonderful yet cruel mistress. For those needing a refresher, it stands for Brackets, Orders (i.e., powers and roots), Division and Multiplication (left to right), Addition and Subtraction (left to right).
This means that division and multiplication come BEFORE addition and subtraction, ranking them higher in the mathematical food chain.
Re-doing the Math
Alright, brave soul returning for a rematch, let’s follow BODMAS:
First, we do the multiplication and division:
15 – (3 × 2) + (8 ÷ 4)
15 – 6 + 2
Next comes the addition and subtraction:
15 – 6 = 9
9 + 2 = 11
The Grand Reveal
And there you have it, the moment of truth:
The Answer
The grand answer to our riddle is 11. THomo think of this little grape as your mental trophy. Now go ahead, flaunt your cerebral muscles. Share it with your friends, revel in your victory, or just pamper yourself with a glass of delicious grape juice.
Go on, you earned it!
