Aussie maths whiz Eddie Woo debunks simple maths questions driving people crazy

This deceptively simple maths question has stumped the internet.

It’s that time again when the very-online parts of the internet start fighting over a viral riddle or illusion or, in this case, a very simple maths question.

Following in the mathematic footsteps of the equations that came before it, another deceptively simple maths problem has surfaced to unleash a civil war among family, friends, and comment sections around the world wide web.

Give it a go: 8÷2 (2+2)

The equation has split amateur maths sleuths into two camps: those who say the answer is 16, and others who say it is 1.

And what might be the most confusing and infuriating part of it all is that neither is necessarily wrong – but they may show your age.

The modern order of operations – aka the rules of maths that dictate how to read an expression and avoid situations like this – taught to school students today would find the answer is 16.

They would follow the Bodmas order: brackets, orders (or indices), division and multiplication then addition and subtraction.

According to that, the expression becomes 8÷2(4), then 4(4) – which is the same as 4x4 – to equal 16.

However, the older order of operations would put multiplication before division – so 8÷2(4) would become 8÷8 = 1.

Eddie Woo's attempt to explain the ‘gotcha’ question caused a commotion on the panel. Photo / Channel 10 / The Project.

That answer, according to Stanford mathematics graduate Presh Talwalker, would have been correct 100 years ago.

And now my head hurts.

Renowned Australian maths teacher Eddie Woo has weighed in on these kinds of viral problems, saying it is intentionally ambiguous.

During an appearance on Channel 10′s The Project, the Sydney maths teacher was asked to answer another viral maths question that similarly stumped the internet: 6÷2 (1+2).

Just like this problem, answers were split: some were certain the answer is 9, and others would have bet their house the answer is 1.

“You might hate me for a second, but I’m gonna say the answer is yes,” Woo said.

His answer caused a commotion among the panel, with co-hosts Waleed Aly and Sarah Harris calling out “what?!” and “what’s yes?” as the teacher continued.

“This is actually a mathematical equation that was designed to be ambiguous,” Woo said.

“You might not like that but it’s a bit of a gotcha kind of problem. It’s meant to trick you.”

He said it was a mathematical sentence like “I saw a man with a telescope”.

Did you see a man holding a telescope, or did you look through a telescope and see a man?

“I saw a man with a telescope is ambiguous and maths can be like that sometimes, too,” he said. “So one or nine, they’re both kind of the answer.”

By that logic, though it hurts the Bodmas my maths teachers drilled into my brain, the answer could be 16 or 1.

Let the chaos commence.