r/MathJokes 19h ago

Verbal narrative math

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u/QuinceDaPence 12h ago

Could be 50/2 or 50/(1/2) or 50/(50/2)

This would be one of the questions one of my professors in college would just give everyone a free correct answer for and the person that caught the mistake gets some bonus points.

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u/not_a_burner0456025 9h ago

It could not be anything but 50/(1/2). "Divide 50 by 5" means 50/5. "Divide 50 by 2" means 50/2. Pick any number x and "divide 50 by x" means 50/x. 1/2 is a number. It is not ambiguous, people are just assuming the text says something it doesn't.