4-2^2+5x3-2=11

[chemistry]

£10 (plus gift aid) donated

[4x4Tyke]

chemistry said:

£10 (plus gift aid) donated

[gothatway]

ash73 said:

Gave this problem to my Dad, who's 82, to ponder over Sunday dinner. After just a few minutes his response was you don't need any brackets just use base 12! I hadn't told him about the base 8 solution either. Bless him.

Spot on, and good for him - you just need BODMAS - I hope I have sufficient brain cells left at that age to be able to do likewise.

By the way, base 16 works as well (though not without brackets - base 12 must be the only one that achieves that).

So are there other bases that provide solutions - and is there a way of finding them other than trial and error ?

[Simpo Two]

PH is great. If you can't find an answer in base 10, just try all other bases until the key fits. And if still no luck, try extra dimensions.

'Over, under, round, through' as per Norman Schwarzkopf!

[Zod]

chemistry said:

The good news is that he's provided a hint; that brackets are involved on both sides of the equation

which is ridiculous, because an equation presented like that is supposed to show the final answer on the right and 1(1) or (1)1 is not that.

[4x4Tyke]

Brackets on the right would actually suggest an unsimplified simultaneous equation

[4x4Tyke]

If at first you don't succeed, then change the rules.

Should be a PH meme.

[chemistry]

My son had maths today; apparently his teacher said the base 8 solution is the best submitted so far. His comment was “Those buttons are coming home Dad” :

However, my son says it will be Wednesday before he’s told the official answer.

I’ll continue to keep you posted...

[thegreenhell]

Teacher stalling because he knows he's fked up?

[JuanCarlosFandango]

I hope his maths teacher had the same bruising experience I did trying to get my head around base 8. I think I've missed my stop.

[annodomini2]

Send him in with the base 12 solution tomorrow.

[Willlll]

They didn't specify the type of bracket...

The vertical line is classed as a mathematical bracket and used for absolute value.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mathematical...

Absolute value is the distance between X and 0 and will always be a positive value. So....

(4(-(2^2)))+(5x(3-2)) = -11

Then

|(4(-(2^2)))+(5x(3-2))| = 11

If the brackets needed to be both sides this is valid also

|(4(-(2^2)))+(5x(3-2))| = |11|

Edited by Willlll on Monday 15th October 23:05

[Toltec]

4-2^2+5X3-2=11

(4(-2)^2)+(5X3(-2))=1(1)

(4(4)+(-30X)=1

Where X=0.5

16-15=1

1=1

[chemistry]

So....he won the buttons!!!!

Also, here’s the official (trick) answer from the teacher:



Thanks again for everyone’s help!

[anonymous-user]

Adding brackets as you go along sheesh.
No wonder he's a teacher with a dodgy trick like that

[thegreenhell]

So he's teaching that you can just make up the rules as you go along to get the outcome you want?

[V8LM]

That’s appalling

Plus it’s more than adding the necessary brackets.

Edited by V8LM on Tuesday 16th October 19:35

[Strudul]

He didn't even use brackets on the right side of the equation? The hint was a lie?

[Einion Yrth]

Strudul said:

He didn't even use brackets on the right side of the equation? The hint was a lie?

He's just spent christ knows how long coming up with a mathematically invalid answer to the problem, merely to avoid having to admit to making a mistake. What a sad, sad individual.

[FredClogs]

No wonder school shootings happen...

What? Too soon?