The sum of all fears: Simple equation sparks mathematical warfare on Twitter

It all started with a single tweet: “8÷2(2+2).” A simple challenge, right? Well, apparently not judging by the bitter flame wars currently ongoing across the Twittersphere.

The ostensibly simple equation went viral this week as budding mathematicians and physicists from around the world torched each other’s ‘flawed’ methods and extolled the virtues of their own. These days, you are either a ‘1’ or a ‘16.’

The original tweet which started it all was published on July 27 and has since garnered 16,900 comments and 12.8 million likes.

“I do parenthesis, multiplication, then division so I believe it’s 1,” wrote one user. “1. The amount of people saying 16 need to retake math,” snarkily agreed another proud ‘1’ advocate.

The ‘16s’ returned with a fierce volley of their own, however. “It’s 16 omg the replies [are] embarrassing,” wrote one vexed respondent.

One reply alone garnered 1.3 million views and 14,200 likes, highlighting the stakes of this mathematical online war. 

One online poll suggested a significant victory for the ‘1s.’ However, the apparently omniscient Google Calculator disagreed and is seemingly a proud ‘16.’

© Google

Ultimately, it all breaks down to where you learned math. The PEMDAS method – Parenthesis first, Exponents, Multiplication and Division and then finally Addition and Subtraction – is apparently favoured in places like the US.

Whereas the BODMAS method – Brackets first, Orders (powers and square roots), Division and Multiplication and then, as above, Addition and Subtraction – is taught elsewhere in places like Canada for instance. 

“The way it’s written, it’s ambiguous. In math, a lot of times there are ambiguities. Mathematicians try to make rules as precise as possible,” Mike Breen, the public awareness officer for the American Mathematical Society, told Popular Mechanics.

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