Allan
you have to be 19 years
old
it is a contest Labatt Blue
can you please give me the answer some people are saying 154 and some
34
Hi Allan,
(3 
50)
+ 20 
5
The rules for the order in which we perform operations
say we simplify within brackets first, then evaluate any exponents,
then
we perform
multiplication and division (in the order in which they appear left
to right) and then we perform addition and subtraction (in the order
in which they apear left to right). So in your question, only
20 is divided by 5, not the whole sum (3 50)
+ 20 and so the
mathametically correct answer is 154.
Leeanne
These "skill testing" questions have always bothered me. I think that every one that I have seen is ambiguous. If they are going to use the rules of order that Leeanne quotes then why did they put parentheses around the "3 times 50"? The mathematically correct answer is what Leeanne says but I expect that the correct answer to the contest is whatever Labatt says it is.
Harley