"Finish this if you're a genius. 2 – 2 × 3 + 3. 95% failure rate . "
Upon reading this ultra-short calculation, the immediate reaction of most internet users is to respond within seconds. Yet, the comment sections are torn apart by completely different answers: 3 , -7 , 1 , or even -1 . Why does such a simple equation provoke so much disagreement?
Why are 95% of people wrong?
The error doesn't stem from a lack of logic, but from forgetting the order of operations (the well-known rule known as PEMDAS or BODMAS ). Our brains naturally tend to read from left to right, which leads to two very common pitfalls:
-
The trap of reading directly (from left to right):
Some first calculate $2 – 2 = 0$ , then multiply by $3$ ( $0 \times 3 = 0$ ), and finally add $3$ . They thus find 3 .
-
The trap of poorly implemented PEMDAS:
For full cooking steps, turn to the next page or click the Open button (>) and don't forget to SHARE with your Facebook friends.
