A key part—though surely not the only part—of early-grades math is ensuring students get the basic arithmetic functions down and, beyond that, making sure they’re able to swiftly and automatically ...

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 ...

The answer could be 1 or it could be 16, or it could be both. There are two problems, according to the computer science professor: the order and the obelus. An obelus is this: ÷ and it has a variety ...

Every now and again, homework takes social media by storm. Sometimes it’s a young child’s vexing assignment, or a classic brain teaser. But the problem above that’s stirred such debate is really just ...

For about a decade now, mathematicians and mathematics educators have been weighing in on a particular debate rooted in school mathematics that shows no signs of abating. If you're like most, your ...

Mike Kenny didn’t intend to create an educational web app — he was just looking for a way to help students master their multiplication tables. In 2013, as a graduate student in the Vermont Mathematics ...

This summer, battle lines were drawn over a simple math problem: 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2) = ? If you divide 8 by 2 first, you get 16, but if you multiply 2 by (2 + 2) first, you get 1. So, which answer is right?

An elementary math problem has divided the internet after an easy-looking equation turned out to be anything but simple. Many X users were stumped by the problem 16 ÷ 4 X 4 - 4, posted by ...