# 8222 > 8÷2(2+2) is a deliberately ambiguous 2019 math equation that split Twitter users between answers of 1 and 16, pivoting on whether implied multiplication outranks division. 8÷2(2+2) =? is a deliberately ambiguous math equation that tore through Twitter in late July 2019, splitting the internet into two warring camps: people who got 1 and people who got 16. The fight hinges on whether the implied multiplication in "2(2+2)" takes priority over the division sign, a question that exposed a fault line between grade-school mnemonics, algebraic convention, and how calculators actually parse input. The format itself is older than the 2019 version, with nearly identical variants going viral in 2011 and 2016[3]. ## Origin On July 28, 2019, Twitter user @pjmdoll posted the equation edited onto a still frame from *The Last: Naruto the Movie* with the caption "oomfies solve this"[5]. The tweet picked up over 10,400 likes and 2,600 retweets within three days as replies flooded in with screenshots of calculators showing contradictory answers[5]. The equation wasn't new. Programmer Arthur O'Dwyer noted that "8÷2(2+2)" was just the latest version of a recurring trick. The same setup appeared as "48÷2(9+3)" in 2011 and "6÷2(1+2)" in 2016[3]. Each time, identical arguments played out with identical intensity, and as O'Dwyer put it, "there's nothing new under the sun"[3]. - **Platform:** Twitter - **Creator:** @pjmdoll (original poster) - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview The equation 8÷2(2+2) looks simple enough to solve on a napkin, but it's built to exploit a gap in how people remember order of operations. Everyone agrees on the first step: solve the parentheses, turning 2+2 into 4. That leaves 8÷2(4), and the whole thing falls apart. People who learned PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) often multiply 2×4 first, getting 8÷8 = 1. People who learned BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) tend to divide first, getting 4×4 = 16. The twist is that both mnemonics describe the same underlying rules, but the letter order tricks people into thinking multiplication and division have different priorities[1]. The real issue isn't the mnemonics at all. It's the missing multiplication sign between the 2 and the parentheses. Writing "2(4)" instead of "2 × 4" uses implicit multiplication, a convention from algebra where a coefficient next to a variable (like 2x) is treated as a tighter binding[6]. Whether that implied multiplication gets priority over the division sign is the actual core of the fight. ## How It Spread The debate exploded within hours of @pjmdoll's tweet. Twitter users started posting calculator screenshots side by side, with some devices returning 1 and others returning 16[5]. User @SoWhAT9000 argued that parentheses must be fully resolved before anything else, writing "you can't not do anything if you don't get rid of parenthesis first," a tweet that picked up over 1,100 likes[5]. Celebrity involvement pushed the argument further. *Queer Eye* star Bobby Berk retweeted the equation and declared "It's 16 y'all," drawing immediate pushback from the answer-is-1 faction[2]. By July 30, some users had abandoned the fight entirely. @NomeDaBarbarian posted: "It's either 1 or 16 depending on which mathematician you listen to, because order of operations isn't a hard and fast rule, and math is really just a language. And nothing is true"[5]. Google Calculator sided with 16, which settled the question for plenty of people[2]. But on July 31, the UK's Mirror reached an anonymous Oxford University mathematics professor who said the equation was simply written badly. "Without better brackets, there can be ambiguity," they explained. "Mathematicians do not generally have problems communicating with each other about things like this, but for whatever reason people seem to enjoy posing these kinds of problems on social media"[2]. Coverage spread to major outlets including the New York Times (which ran three articles in its Science section), Slate, and Popular Mechanics[4]. A Twitter poll on the equation split roughly 60/40 in favor of 1[4]. ## How to Use The 8÷2(2+2) equation is typically deployed as engagement bait on social media. The format works like this: 1. Post the equation (or a variant like 6÷2(1+2) or 48÷2(9+3)) as an image or plain text 2. Ask people to solve it with minimal commentary 3. Wait as replies split into warring factions arguing for 1 or 16 4. The comment section runs itself from there ## Cultural Impact The 8÷2(2+2) debate drew coverage from the New York Times (three separate articles), Slate, Popular Mechanics, and the Mirror, among others[4][2]. Multiple university math departments issued public statements or explanations in response. The equation sparked genuine academic discussion about how mathematics education handles order of operations. The researchers who published in The Conversation argued that the practice of omitting multiplication signs should be reconsidered in educational contexts, calling the convention "inappropriate" when mixed with division in an arithmetic expression[1]. Devlin used the debate as a teaching moment about the history of algebra itself, writing a detailed essay about how public understanding of mathematical notation is stuck in a pre-seventeenth-century framework. He observed that the viral equation keeps resurfacing precisely because this gap in understanding hasn't closed[9]. The debate also exposed how different calculators handle identical input. Casio and TI models could return different answers depending on their firmware and how they parsed implicit multiplication, turning calculator screenshots into ammunition for both sides[2]. ## Fun Facts - In the programming language APL, the expression 8÷2(2+2) returns a vector of two elements (4, 2) because APL treats concatenation literally, and its * means exponentiation, not multiplication[3]. - Wolfram Alpha interprets the expression as 16 but explicitly shows you how it rewrote the equation, giving users a chance to correct it[3]. - The anonymous Oxford professor seemed genuinely puzzled by the public's interest, noting that actual mathematicians "do not generally have problems communicating with each other about things like this"[2]. - Twitter's poll on the equation split 60% for 1 and 40% for 16[4]. - YSU professor O'Mellan decided she wanted to be a math teacher in kindergarten, with a brief detour when she considered becoming a truck driver inspired by the TV show "B.J. and the Bear"[4]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is 8÷2(2+2)? It's a deliberately ambiguous math equation that went viral on Twitter in July 2019, sparking massive online debates over whether the answer is 1 or 16[5]. ### Where did 8÷2(2+2) come from? Twitter user @pjmdoll posted it on July 28, 2019, edited onto a still from *The Last: Naruto the Movie* with the caption "oomfies solve this"[5]. ### What does 8÷2(2+2) mean? The equation exploits ambiguity in mathematical notation. The missing multiplication sign between 2 and (2+2) is the source of the disagreement, since it's unclear whether 2(4) should be treated as a single unit or as a separate multiplication step[1]. ### How do you use 8÷2(2+2)? Post the equation (or a variant) on social media and ask people to solve it. The built-in ambiguity generates arguments in the replies between people who get 1 and people who get 16[2]. ### Is 8÷2(2+2) still popular? The specific 2019 version has cooled off, but the format keeps resurfacing every few years with slight number changes. Variants appeared in 2011 and 2016 before the 2019 breakout[3]. ### Is the answer 1 or 16? It depends on who you ask. Mathematicians who treat 2(4) as implied multiplication with higher priority get 1. Those who treat it as standard left-to-right multiplication and division get 16. An Oxford professor said the equation is simply ambiguous due to poor notation[2]. ### Why do calculators give different answers? Different calculators parse implied multiplication differently. Some treat 2(4) as a single term with higher priority than division, while others insert a multiplication sign internally and evaluate left to right[2]. ### What is the PEMDAS vs BODMAS debate? PEMDAS (used in the US) and BODMAS (used in the UK) are mnemonics for the order of operations. They describe the same rules, but the letter order tricks people into thinking multiplication and division have different priorities[1]. ### What did mathematicians say about the equation? Responses varied widely. Professor Keith Devlin said both 1 and 16 are incorrect because the expression isn't well-formed in modern algebra[8]. Professor Anita O'Mellan called it "BS" and said no mathematician would write it this way[4]. The Conversation published an analysis declaring 16 the definitive answer[1]. ### Why does this equation keep going viral? It's designed as perfect engagement bait. The ambiguity guarantees disagreement, and people are strongly motivated to prove they're right about basic math. Variants have appeared every few years since at least 2011[3]. ### What is implicit multiplication? Implicit multiplication (or multiplication by juxtaposition) is the convention of writing 2x or 2(4) instead of 2×x or 2×4. In algebra, this typically indicates a tighter binding than explicit multiplication, but not all calculators or style guides agree on whether it gets higher priority[6]. ### Did the New York Times cover this equation? Yes. The debate grew large enough that the Times ran three articles about it in its Science section, alongside coverage from Slate and Popular Mechanics[4]. ## References 1. [Mind-boggling maths equation divides internet as people argue over right answer - The Mirror]() 2. [8 ÷ 2 (2 + 2) ≠ 8 ÷ 2 ×(2 + 2). Destroying the Internet Meme with Math | by The Sharp Ninja | Ninja’s Take | Medium]() 3. [What is 8÷2(2+2)? – Arthur O'Dwyer – Stuff mostly about C++]() 4. [8÷2(2+2) = ? - Know Your Meme]() 5. [6-7 meme]() 6. [8÷2(2+2) = ? - Urban Dictionary]() 7. [8÷2(2+2)=? Many get this clickbait question wrong. How to get bracketed order of operations right.]() 8. [The simple reason a viral math equation stumped the internet]() 9. [8/2(2+2) - Maths expert explains answer. Is it 1, 16 or something else? - University of Huddersfield]() 10. [8 ÷ 2 (2+2) = ? | YSU]() 11. [“What is the value of 8 ÷ 2(2 + 2)?” and other Internet confusions – Mathematics Outreach Project (SUMOP)]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/8222 Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library