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 ...

You probably think you're smarter than a middle schooler. If you want to know for sure, try your hand at this basic math problem. It's harder than it looks — even if you think you have a solid grasp ...

At first glance, the problem appears easy enough. But while many users on X, formerly Twitter, quickly chimed in with answers, only a small number got it right - because only they remembered to apply ...

The confusion (likely intentional) boiled down to a discrepancy between the math rules used in grade school and in high school. By Steven Strogatz Recently I wrote about a math equation that had ...

You don’t have to be a math whiz to know that 4 - 2 + 1 equals 3. Yet I was working with several students recently who said it equals 1. And it wasn’t their fault. Nor was it their teacher’s fault.

In grade school, you were probably constantly drilled on mathematics. Whether it be multiplication tables, simple addition, or complicated division, it was taught over and over again that quick math ...