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This Simple Math Problem Keeps Going Viral
Does anyone on the internet remember PEMDAS? I am forced to conclude not.
This is not the first time I’ve written about viral math on the internet, but it is the first time I’ve written about a viral trend that is seemingly evergreen.
I am referring to, of course, the order-of-operations math problem. Yes, another day, another “ARE YOU TEAM 104 OR TEAM 4???” and threats of real violence if you disagree with their interpretation of the solution. (Twitter user Wannabe Scarecrow was driven “to the brink” due to incorrect answers in the comments.)
I’m perenially confused by how people on the internet eat this stuff up. In my usual experience, Twitter is a place for cute animals, bad-faith takes, and bots ramping up political division. Math should be exempt from all that.
Except for the one exception: PEMDAS, or the order of operations. If you tweet asking people to correctly add, subtract, multiply and divide, you’re practically guaranteed virality.
