There’s yet another maths sum going viral, so what on earth is 9-3÷1/3+1?

Another day, another maths question going viral on Twitter making us all wonder if we ever even went to school. This time it’s 9-3÷1/3+1, and to be honest, just looking at it is making my mind hurt.

Apparently the maths sum was posted originally a few years ago, with the stat that only 60 per cent of Japanese 20-year-olds were able to solve the question. So, can you work it out? Here’s a breakdown of some of the most common wrong answers, and of course, what the correct answer is.

What's the correct answer? pic.twitter.com/06CMgcpJtv

— Fascinating (@fasc1nate) September 9, 2023

Right, what actually is 9-3÷1/3+1?

This equation has gone around Twitter once again, with loads of people fighting over what they think the right answer is. It’s been viewed millions of times, has thousands of replies and 300 people have bookmarked the question, probably hoping to return to it later and get some answers.

The most common incorrect answer replying to the viral tweet is nine, but it’s an easy mistake to make – just by grouping the numbers incorrectly. Other numbers being thrown around include 15, three and 19 – but to be honest, everyone just wants to know what the real answer is so they can move on.

The most common mistake is writing the 1/3 as 9 – 3 ÷ 1/3 + 1 and doing the sum in order as this comes. Some calculators will also make mistakes with grouping, so may also give you an incorrect answer of nine.

The correct answer is found by grouping 1/3 with brackets and following the order of operations, with division coming first.

• 9 – 3 ÷ (1/3) + 1
= 9 – 9 + 1
= 0 + 1
= 1

This is an order of operations problem that shows the importance of grouping, the many ways you can indicate multiplication and division, and why using parentheses for clarity is so vital

A math problem is expressed differently than it is on paper when put into a calculator…

— Kayla Cardillo (@kaylacardillo) September 9, 2023

But honestly, if your mind still hurts then don’t worry, because same.

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