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It looks like a math problem a child could solve in seconds:
50 + 50 – 25 × 0 + 2 + 2
But post it online, and the answers quickly start piling up.
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Some people say 0. Others confidently answer 4 or 100. Yet only one answer follows the basic rules of mathematics.
Take another look before reading the solution. What answer did you get?
The Correct Answer
The answer is:
104
The numbers themselves are easy. The trick is knowing which operation to complete first.
You cannot simply work through the expression from left to right. Multiplication must be done before addition and subtraction.
Start with:
25 × 0 = 0
Now the original expression becomes:
50 + 50 – 0 + 2 + 2
From here, calculate from left to right:
50 + 50 = 100
100 – 0 = 100
100 + 2 + 2 = 104
That gives us the final answer:
104
Why So Many People Get It Wrong
The most common mistake is solving each operation in the exact order it appears.
Someone may calculate:
50 + 50 = 100
Then:
100 – 25 = 75
Then:
75 × 0 = 0
That seems logical at first, but it ignores the order of operations. The multiplication sign connects only 25 and 0, so that calculation must happen before the surrounding addition and subtraction.
Another common mistake is assuming that because the equation contains “× 0,” the entire answer must be zero.
But multiplying one part of an expression by zero does not erase everything else.
For example:
10 + 5 × 0
First calculate:
5 × 0 = 0
Then:
10 + 0 = 10
The same principle applies here.
The Rule That Solves It
You may remember the order of operations as PEMDAS:
See more on the next page to continue reading →
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