What's the answer?

[Hardbopjazz]

I came up with 50.

[paul secor]

I came up with 56.

[.:.impossible]

(7x7)+(7/7)+(7-7)=(49)+(1)+(0)=50

PIMDAS

[.:.impossible]

PEMDAS rather

[aparxa]

[king ubu]

not sure what/who pimdas or pemdas is, but if you just add things chronologically as you read (as jazz musicians do when they improvise a chorus, you might say), it's of course 56

[BillF]

56

[mjazzg]

56 (on the second check)

[jazztrain]

The answer, as some others have noted, is 50.

There are some basic rules of arithmetic, also carried over into programming, whereby multiplication and division operations take place before sums and additions.

I'd parse it as follows:

7 + (7/7) + (7 x 7) - 7 = 7 + 1 + 49 - 7 = 50

[Hardbopjazz]

The answer, as some others have noted, is 50.

There are some basic rules of arithmetic, also carried over into programming, whereby multiplication and division operations take place before sums and additions.

I'd parse it as follows:

7 + (7/7) + (7 x 7) - 7 = 7 + 1 + 49 - 7 = 50

That's how I came up with 50.

[mikeweil]

jazztrain is perfectly correct.

[ejp626]

Every year it seems that this order of operations stuff crops up. The odd thing is that it turns out at least some software is not programmed with the proper order of operations (or it might lose track after 4 or 5 operations). I find it is an important reminder that you really ought to use brackets to ensure the program is doing what you intend it to do.

[aparxa]

Naah, no need of brackets, if the math software isn't well programmed enough to compute the most basic operations, use another one.

[ejp626]

Not trying to argue that Excel is great math software, but if you poke it (or nearly any other software) there will be something that was programmed differently from the way a math professor would do it. In this case it has to do with exponentiation.

I found this an interesting (if long) exchange on the issue: http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/69058.html

Basically, I would still argue that you ought to start throwing brackets around once you get past 3 or 4 terms and operations.

[page]

56

[.:.impossible]

PEMDAS is the order of operations: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Divison, Addition, Subtraction.

[Scott Dolan]

To answer in the form of a question, Jeopardy-style: why do I hate math so much?

[JSngry]

The answer, as some others have noted, is 50.

There are some basic rules of arithmetic, also carried over into programming, whereby multiplication and division operations take place before sums and additions.

I'd parse it as follows:

7 + (7/7) + (7 x 7) - 7 = 7 + 1 + 49 - 7 = 50

The answer, as some others have noted, is 50.

There are some basic rules of arithmetic, also carried over into programming, whereby multiplication and division operations take place before sums and additions.

I'd parse it as follows:

7 + (7/7) + (7 x 7) - 7 = 7 + 1 + 49 - 7 = 50

That's how I came up with 50.

jazztrain is perfectly correct.

This. By default, multiplications/divisions are always performed before additions/subtractions. If the intent is otherwise, group it accordingly. Otherwise, yes, 50.

[.:.impossible]

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

Kids these days use:

Please Excuse My Dope Ass Swag

This is the basic law of arithmetic.

Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally

Kids these days use:

Please Excuse My Dope Ass Swag

This is the basic law of arithmetic.

[Rooster_Ties]

50 here, but I was a comp-sci major in a previous life (25 years ago).

[JSngry]

You know, shit like this is open to interpretation, like, you know, WHO SAYS? THEY SAYS! and all that, but that's Art Math, Interpretational Equationality.

And that's cool, all kinds of non-traditional equations to get to alternate conclusions, but if you wanna get paid right and/or not fall out of that tree because you choose to interpret gravity before recognizing it, hey, learn how "they" do it. Cover that and THEN interpret.

[johnblitweiler]

56, but I merely add, divide, add, multiply, and subtract in that order.

[BruceH]

I get 56. But I suck at math.

[Jazzmoose]

Caught myself in time and got 50, but I think I was on my way to 91 or something...