Simple math question

[Claude]

9 - 3 ÷ 1/3 + 1 = ?

[Rudi]

Spoiler

3÷1/3=9
9-9=0
0+1=1
=======
1

[John Gray]

One agrees with Rudi!

[Claude]

One does indeed

[Rudi]

Without math order one might get three.

[StuartR]

If one follows the basic rules of mathematics then one achieves the same result as Rudi. If one were to incorrectly understand the order of precedence of mathematical operators then one might indeed derive an incorrect result.

[HansV]

In Excel, however, you have to write 1/3 as (1/3): the formula =9-3/(1/3)+1 returns 1, but =9-3/1/3+1 returns 9, since Excel doesn't distinguish between ÷ and /

[Rudi]

    
And for interest sake (while on the topic of fractions), you can type proper fractions into a cell by preceding it with a zero and a space.
If you write 1/3 into a cell, Excel interprets it as a date.
If you write 0 1/3 into a cell, it is converted into a decimal number representing that fractions value

Although it does not make sense to type the expression like this...

=9-3/0 1/3+1

...it still works as Excel translates the proper fraction into a decimal when you press ENTER, and before the expression is evaluated.

[PJ_in_FL]

Rudi,

Thanks for the "0 space" entry trick for fractions!

I'm often trying to put 32nds or 64ths into formula and this works very nicely!