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Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
First, examine the equation below.
Obviously, this equation is false. There are a few ways we could alter the equation to make it true, such as removing the + from the left side and the × from the right side to make both sides read 1111. This maneuver would NOT solve today’s Brain Game, however. Too easy. Your goal:
Find a way to insert the SAME SINGLE MARK to the SAME SPOT
on both sides of the equation in order to make it true.
Here is one ANSWER.
Comments (26)
Comment
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I got that you make it 111 + 11 = 11 x 11.
Buuuuut…. I read the question wrong, so I get no points for finding another way.
posted by Zach on 6-30-2009 at 8:47 am
Yay, I finally got one!! I don’t have to start the day feeling like a dolt, woohoo!
Captha: impede unite
posted by Mike's Girl on 6-30-2009 at 8:54 am
11+1.1=11*1.1
posted by john on 6-30-2009 at 9:00 am
how about this
-11 + 11 = 11 x 1-1
-11 + 11 = 11 x 0
0 = 0
maybe???
posted by Ian on 6-30-2009 at 9:13 am
ok, so its not in the same spot
posted by Ian on 6-30-2009 at 9:13 am
sorry ian but your solution is incorrect. -11 + 11 = 11 x 1-1. you would multiply 11 by 1 before you would subtract the 1 by 1. it would come out to 0 = 11 – 1 which is false.
posted by yoni on 6-30-2009 at 9:25 am
Nice job, MG!
And close, Ian – very close. Yoni’s right about the calculation, though. I still use the old “Please My Dear Aunt Sally” mnemonic to remember the order (Parentheses, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction).
posted by Sandy Wood on 6-30-2009 at 9:37 am
I just threw a subtraction sign in place of the (+) and (x) signs.
11-11 = 11-11
Obviously, that was not what you were looking for, lol.
posted by Josh on 6-30-2009 at 9:57 am
1-1+11=1-1*11
posted by Jacob Hutchings on 6-30-2009 at 10:24 am
A single mark which would make this equation true, could also be to put a slash through the equals sign. Thus making the sign now (not equals).
Then your unbalanced equation would also be true.
posted by Chris on 6-30-2009 at 10:43 am
I went with 1.1 + 11 = 1.1 x 11
…but…
what about putting a slash through the + and throught the x, resulting in * and *. Then, 11 * 11 = 11 * 11.
posted by Josh on 6-30-2009 at 10:45 am
1^1+11 = 1^1*11
1^12 = 1^11
1 = 1
you like it?
posted by Zac on 6-30-2009 at 10:49 am
11 + 110 = 011 x 11
121 = 121
The 0 is in the same location relative to the equals sign.
posted by Christian on 6-30-2009 at 10:53 am
We always used Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally…well that’s what they taught us in middle school.
(Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction)
posted by Victoria on 6-30-2009 at 10:55 am
We’re getting into semantics here, but I think you could make a good arguement this plays by the rules.
11+1 (-) 1 = 11*1 (/) 1
It is the same mark, and it’s in the same “spot” (meaning between the final two 1s on each side of the equation). It’s just rotated.
posted by SteveO on 6-30-2009 at 11:08 am
pardon misspelling. “argument”
posted by SteveO on 6-30-2009 at 11:11 am
11=11=11=11
or
11-11=11-11
Is that what you are looking for, or am I just being daft?
posted by John on 6-30-2009 at 11:19 am
11 + 11 11 * 11
posted by Joseph Andersen on 6-30-2009 at 11:27 am
11 + 11 lessthan = greaterthan 11 * 11
- comment system ate my angle brackets first time
posted by Joseph Andersen on 6-30-2009 at 11:28 am
This is a bit of a stretch (and requires a font without the serif)
adding a + sign on top of the third 1 on the left and inside either 11 on the right becomes:
11 + +1 = 1+1 * 11
posted by Parker on 6-30-2009 at 11:54 am
I was thinking 11 + 11 =/= 11 * 11
If it’s in the middle, it’s on both sides, technically speaking…
posted by Mortal Light on 6-30-2009 at 12:16 pm
There’s an easy anwswer if you get the point.
posted by PartiallyDeflected on 6-30-2009 at 1:05 pm
How about a simple vertical dash down the middle of the equal sign.
11 + 11 =|= 11 x 11
(technically half of the vertical dash would be on the left, and the mirror other half making it a whole would be on the right. This would make the equal sign into a “not equal” sign.)
posted by Jordan on 6-30-2009 at 1:32 pm
I didn’t get this one – not a math person AT ALL, but all the talk of Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally reminded me of something. I was studying Spark Notes for the GRE Math section and they covered this and said, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. Excuse us, but that is a supremely lame 1950s-style acronym. We prefer ‘Picking Eminem Made Dre A Star’ Whatever.”
Loved it.
posted by Sarah on 6-30-2009 at 1:54 pm
Don’t worry John, I’m daft, too. I opted to just replace the ‘+’ and the ‘x’ with ‘.’.
11.11=11.11
:-D
posted by Ophelia on 6-30-2009 at 3:21 pm
Jacob, 1-1 + 11 = 0 + 11 = 11
1-1 x 11 = 0 x 11 = 0
That argument does not make each side equal. Having said that I didn’t get the correct answer, just noticed that someone else didn’t either!
posted by Sandie on 6-30-2009 at 7:34 pm