6÷2(1+2) = ? Mathematician Explains The Correct Answer

What is 6÷2(1 2) = ? This problem went viral and generated millions of comments on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and social media sites. I explain how to get the correct answer by using the modern interpretation of the order of operations. I also explain how you would get a different answer under historical usage of the division symbol. (Note: some people write 6/2(1 2) = but this has the same answer.) I studied Mathematics and Economics at Stanford. Press coverage of my work: *I get many, many emails about this problem and am unable to reply to them. Blog (text explanation): Slate explains the history of the division symbol Here is a 1917 article from “The American Mathematical Monthly“ that explains the usage of the division symbol as an exception to the order of operations