3 ms·
Disorder of Operations
- ksaj 7y agoA simpler / more confusing one is -3^2 (negative 3 squared). A lot of people are taught that something squared is it times itself. So -3 x -3 = 9. Except, that's not (necessarily) the right answer. Instead, some people are taught it should be thought of as 0 - 3^2. 0 - 3 * 3 = -9 using the Order of Operations. What is more confusing is that even Wolfram sees -3^2 and -3 squared as different problems. So maybe there is no satisfactory answer. Wolfram Alpha: > -3^2 => -9 > -3 squared => (-3)^2 => 9 But: > -3^3 => -27 > -3 cubed => -27 You can't tell if this is (0 - 3^3) or if it is (-3 x -3 x -3). How cruel.