6÷2(1+2) Answer: Is It 1 or 9? The Viral Maths Fight, Settled
The 6÷2(1+2) answer is 9 if you follow the order of operations the way most schools and calculators teach it: brackets first (1+2 = 3), then division and multiplication from left to right (6÷2 = 3, then 3×3 = 9). People who get 1 are using an older convention where "2(3)" sticks together and gets done before the division. The real problem is that the expression is badly written, which is exactly why it goes viral.
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The answer (and the catch)
Let's solve 6÷2(1+2) step by step with standard PEMDAS / BODMAS:
- Brackets / parentheses first: 1 + 2 = 3. Now you have 6 ÷ 2 × 3.
- Division and multiplication have equal rank. Go left to right.
- 6 ÷ 2 = 3.
- 3 × 3 = 9.
Answer: 9.
The catch: that "×" was never written. The 2 is jammed against the bracket, and some people (and some older textbooks and calculators) treat that jammed-together bit as one unit:
- 2(1+2) = 6, so 6 ÷ 6 = 1.
So when people ask "is 6÷2(1+2) 1 or 9?", the honest answer is: 9 by the modern standard convention, 1 by a different convention, and the question is ambiguous on purpose. Mathematicians don't write expressions like this in real work.
PEMDAS vs BODMAS: same rules, different names
Depending on where you went to school, you learned the order of operations under a different acronym:
| Country | Acronym | Stands for |
|---|---|---|
| US | PEMDAS | Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction |
| UK | BODMAS or BIDMAS | Brackets, Orders (or Indices), Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction |
| Canada | BEDMAS (often) | Brackets, Exponents, Division/Multiplication, Addition/Subtraction |
Here's the thing that trips everyone up: M and D are a tie. So are A and S. PEMDAS puts M before D and BODMAS puts D before M, but neither means "do that one first." You work left to right.
So 6÷2(1+2) under PEMDAS and 6÷2(1+2) under BODMAS give the same answer: 9. The US vs UK acronym isn't the reason people disagree.
The mnemonic trap
"Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally" makes it sound like multiplication beats division. It doesn't. If you were taught that way, you'd get 6 ÷ (2 × 3) = 1. That's one big source of the "1" crowd.
Why some people get 1
There are three main reasons people get 1, and only one of them is a straight mistake:
- Reading PEMDAS as a strict ranking. "M comes before D, so multiply first." That's the mistake.
- Implied multiplication priority. Some people learned that a number touching a bracket, like 2(3), binds tighter than ÷. This is a real convention in some textbooks and fields, not just a misunderstanding.
- Reading ÷ like a fraction bar. If you picture 6 on top and 2(1+2) underneath, you get 6/6 = 1. Handwritten algebra often looks like that.
This is why the "6÷2(1+2) = 1 or 9" fight never ends in the comments: both camps are following a rule. They just aren't following the same rule.
This is where most people get stuck: judging whether your own maths instinct is solid or just confident. IQ Tester's number series and logic questions check that for you, then show which category is your strongest and which needs a short daily drill, whether that's mental math, logic or patterns. Find my weak spots
Implied multiplication, explained
Implied multiplication (also called multiplication by juxtaposition) just means writing two things next to each other with no × sign: 2x, 3(a + b), 2(1+2).
In algebra class, "2x" really does behave like one chunk. If you see 1/2x, a lot of teachers and textbooks would read that as 1/(2x), not (1/2)·x. So it's not crazy to treat 2(1+2) as a chunk too.
Different tools handle it differently:
- Most modern calculators and apps treat implied multiplication the same as normal multiplication, and give 9.
- Some older or specific calculator models gave implied multiplication higher priority, and gave 1. That's partly why this debate kept flaring up.
Bottom line: there is no single global rule for implied multiplication. That's the whole reason the 6÷2(1+2) explain threads go on forever.
8÷2(2+2): the sequel
Same fight, bigger numbers. The 8÷2(2+2) answer:
- Standard left-to-right (PEMDAS/BODMAS): 2+2 = 4, then 8 ÷ 2 = 4, then 4 × 4 = 16.
- Implied multiplication first: 2(2+2) = 8, then 8 ÷ 8 = 1.
So 8÷2(2+2) under PEMDAS is 16, and 8÷2(2+2) under BODMAS is also 16 by the standard convention. The "1" answer comes from the same implied-multiplication reading as before.
There's also an older ancestor that went viral years ago: 48÷2(9+3). Same trick: 288 by left-to-right, 2 if you do 2(9+3) first.
And if you see 6/2(1+2) with a slash instead of ÷, the PEMDAS answer is still 9, but a slash makes people even more likely to read it as a fraction and say 1.
How to write it so nobody argues
The real lesson: write clearly. Real mathematicians avoid ÷ in anything serious and use fractions or extra brackets instead.
- If you mean 9, write (6 ÷ 2) × (1 + 2) or (6/2)(1+2).
- If you mean 1, write 6 ÷ [2(1 + 2)] or a fraction with 6 on top and 2(1+2) underneath.
That's it. Two extra brackets and the viral maths question dies.
If you like problems where the rules matter more than the arithmetic, try the cognitive reflection test questions or the famous Monty Hall problem.
Settle your next maths fight with facts, not vibes
The 6÷2(1+2) answer is 9 by the standard convention, 1 by another, and the question is designed to split the comments. If maths traps like this catch you out, find out why. IQ Tester's 20 untimed questions give you a free score band and three of your four reasoning strengths in a few minutes, and its guides turn weak spots like mental math into a short daily drill.
FAQ
What is the correct answer to 6÷2(1+2)?
Using the standard modern order of operations, the correct answer is 9: (1+2) = 3, 6 ÷ 2 = 3, 3 × 3 = 9. Some people get 1 by treating 2(1+2) as a single unit. The expression is ambiguous, which is why it's so controversial.
Why is 6÷2(1+2) 1 for some people?
Because they give implied multiplication, like 2(3), priority over division, or they read the ÷ as a fraction bar. Some older calculators and textbooks used this convention, so it isn't pure carelessness.
Is BODMAS different from PEMDAS?
Only in name. Both say brackets first, then exponents/orders, then multiplication and division left to right, then addition and subtraction left to right. They give the same answer to 6÷2(1+2).
What is 8÷2(2+2)?
It's 16 under the standard left-to-right convention and 1 if you do the implied multiplication first. It's the same trick as 6÷2(1+2) with different numbers.
How do calculators solve 6÷2(1+2)?
Most modern calculators and apps return 9. Some older models gave implied multiplication higher priority and returned 1, which helped fuel the debate.