We like to think that we're pretty good at math, especially after years of schooling. But every once in a while, a simple third-grade math problem manages to trip us up and make us question our ...

Everyone agreed on the first step: Solve inside the parentheses, for 2+2=4. But after that, people split down two paths. Some multiplied first, while others divided, leading to different answers—1 and ...

A key part—though surely not the only part—of early-grades math is ensuring students get the basic arithmetic functions down and, beyond that, making sure they’re able to swiftly and automatically ...

Mathematics is a fundamental part of anyone's elementary and high school education. Students are taught from an early age how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers to solve equations. But for ...

The answer could be 1 or it could be 16, or it could be both. There are two problems, according to the computer science professor: the order and the obelus. An obelus is this: ÷ and it has a variety ...

This summer, battle lines were drawn over a simple math problem: 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2) = ? If you divide 8 by 2 first, you get 16, but if you multiply 2 by (2 + 2) first, you get 1. So, which answer is right?

Computer scientists are a demanding bunch. For them, it’s not enough to get the right answer to a problem — the goal, almost always, is to get the answer as efficiently as possible. Take the act of ...

The internet is torn over an elementary-level math equation which left many scratching their heads. The viral math problem has X users stumped - but the answer comes from lessons learned in fifth or ...