I feel like I am getting trolled
Isn't 17 the actual right answer?
this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2025
459 points (92.3% liked)
Science Memes
17442 readers
3383 users here now
Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!
A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
Rules
- Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
- Keep it rooted (on topic).
- No spam.
- Infographics welcome, get schooled.
This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
Research Committee
Other Mander Communities
Science and Research
Biology and Life Sciences
- !abiogenesis@mander.xyz
- !animal-behavior@mander.xyz
- !anthropology@mander.xyz
- !arachnology@mander.xyz
- !balconygardening@slrpnk.net
- !biodiversity@mander.xyz
- !biology@mander.xyz
- !biophysics@mander.xyz
- !botany@mander.xyz
- !ecology@mander.xyz
- !entomology@mander.xyz
- !fermentation@mander.xyz
- !herpetology@mander.xyz
- !houseplants@mander.xyz
- !medicine@mander.xyz
- !microscopy@mander.xyz
- !mycology@mander.xyz
- !nudibranchs@mander.xyz
- !nutrition@mander.xyz
- !palaeoecology@mander.xyz
- !palaeontology@mander.xyz
- !photosynthesis@mander.xyz
- !plantid@mander.xyz
- !plants@mander.xyz
- !reptiles and amphibians@mander.xyz
Physical Sciences
- !astronomy@mander.xyz
- !chemistry@mander.xyz
- !earthscience@mander.xyz
- !geography@mander.xyz
- !geospatial@mander.xyz
- !nuclear@mander.xyz
- !physics@mander.xyz
- !quantum-computing@mander.xyz
- !spectroscopy@mander.xyz
Humanities and Social Sciences
Practical and Applied Sciences
- !exercise-and sports-science@mander.xyz
- !gardening@mander.xyz
- !self sufficiency@mander.xyz
- !soilscience@slrpnk.net
- !terrariums@mander.xyz
- !timelapse@mander.xyz
Memes
Miscellaneous
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Exactly
So it's just an unfunny meme?
I think it's meant to play with your expectations. Normally someone's take being posted is to show them being confidently stupid, otherwise it isn't as interesting and doesn't go viral.However, because we're primed to view it from that lens, we feel crazy to think we're doing the math correctly and getting the "wrong answer" from what we assume is the "confident dipshit".
There's layers beyond the superficial.
I fell for it. It's crazy to think how heavily I've been trained to believe everything I see is wrong in the most embarrassing and laughable way possible. That's pretty depressing if you think about it.
As most memes are.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Some people insist there's no "correct" order for the basic arithmetic operations. And worse, some people insist the correct order is parenthesis first, then left to right.
Both of those sets of people are wrong.
load more comments
(4 replies)
Presuming PEMDAS is our order of operations and the 5 next to the parentheses indicates multiplication...
2+5(8-5) -> 2+5(3) -> 2+15=17
Other than adding a multiplication indicator next to the left parentheses for clarification (I believe it's * for programming and text chat purposes, a miniature "x" or dot for pen and paper/traditional calculators), this seems fine, yeah.
...I worry about how many people may not understand how to solve equations like these.
While I never failed a math class, I also never went past high school. When would your presumptions NOT be true?
load more comments
(4 replies)
load more comments
(8 replies)
I got some people really angry at me when I suggested writing some math expression with parenthesis so it would be clearer. I think someone told me that order of operations is like a natural law and not a convention, and thus everyone should know it or be able to figure it out.
I sometimes like to add unnecessary parentheses or brackets to section things off and improve legibility, but I don't do any math stuff collaboratively, so I have no idea whether others would find that disruptive or helpful.
load more comments
(1 replies)
I mean, there are very few ambiguous cases when you know how the order of operations works.
load more comments
(1 replies)
Pemdas, parenthesis first, for a total of 3. Then multiplication, 15, then addition. 17. What's hard about this?
load more comments
(1 replies)
PEMDAS bitches.
It's interesting that you can somewhat tell where you are from based on this, I learned it as BODMAS
load more comments
(18 replies)
load more comments
(7 replies)
I'm not seeing a single mention of My Dear Aunt Sally. The youth are lost...
Aunt Sally said some racist things at Thanksgiving, I'm tired of excusing her smh
load more comments
(1 replies)
load more comments
(6 replies)
Hrmm.
I read that as resulting in 21.
My education system did fail me.
I plugged that into ghci as 2+5*(8-5), and it says 17.
:(
I did (2+5)*(8-5).
Doh.
[Edit: (Double doh! Mistyped that here as 5+2. XD)]
You do parenthesis first and then multiplications and then sums, you did parenthesis, then sums, then multiplications, wich is wrong.
plugged that into ghci as 5+2*(8-5), and it says 17.
You might want to report that error. Or, did you mean 2+5*(8-5)?
load more comments
(2 replies)
load more comments
(2 replies)
To all the people yelling PEMDAS and BOMBDAS or whatever - languages other than English exist.
Meneer Van Dale Wacht Op Antwoord (Exponents, multiplication, division, root, addition, subtraction in Dutch).
Just rolls off the toungue
load more comments
(10 replies)
Syntax error
view more: next ›