Question

Paul and Brett went to math class and were given the same expression to simplify. The expression they were given was 6 + 12 divided by 2(3) + 1
Despite having the same expression, they each came up with different solutions.

Answer 1

Solution: We know that:

Paul and Brett went to math class and were given the same expression to simplify. The expression they were given was 6 + 12 divided by 2(3) + 1.

Looking at the solution's by Paul and Brett, we clearly see that the Paul made a mistake at step 3.

6 + 12 ÷ 2(3) + 1

6 + 12 ÷ 6 + 1                       Correct

18 ÷ 6 + 1                             Incorrect  It should have been 6 + 2 +1

According to order of operation's rule, division needs to done before addition.

Therefore, solution by Paul carries a mistake, while the solution by Brett is correct.