I have to be honest, I'm confused why you're asking a super simple math question.

Subtract 100 from both sides     Y(2+3)= -90

Divide both sides by (2+3)            Y= -90/(2+3)

                                                            Y= -18

Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

I remember in high school algebra I once set X to 0 instead of finding it and had several answers that said "you can't divide by 0"

Posted by sol_phenom3 on 9/18/2012 7:49:00 PM (view original):
Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

I knew I'd blow it.  When I took high school algebra, I had to show my work by drawing it  on the cave wall. May I take a make-up exam...please??

I had to do it about ten times over and over again just to make sure I was right.  I'm awful at math myself.  My father's been a math teacher for nearly thirty years though, so if I screwed this one up, he'd probably stop talking to me. 

At least you were one of the braver ones for trying, Al!

This is the extent of my math skills.

Posted by sol_phenom3 on 9/18/2012 7:49:00 PM (view original):
Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

OK, so if Y=2 there... solve this:

6 ÷ 2 (1+2) =

Posted by isack24 on 9/18/2012 7:10:00 PM (view original):
I have to be honest, I'm confused why you're asking a super simple math question.

See the follow-up.

I'm hopeful that someone will be able to *explain* it better than I can, because when I try to do the explanation I am getting a lot of blank stares (albeit from people who do not do any math).

Posted by zbrent716 on 9/18/2012 9:50:00 PM (view original):

Posted by sol_phenom3 on 9/18/2012 7:49:00 PM (view original):
Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

OK, so if Y=2 there... solve this:

6 ÷ 2 (1+2) =

+1

Posted by zbrent716 on 9/18/2012 9:50:00 PM (view original):

Posted by sol_phenom3 on 9/18/2012 7:49:00 PM (view original):
Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

OK, so if Y=2 there... solve this:

6 ÷ 2 (1+2) =

9.

Where are people getting confused?

Posted by isack24 on 9/18/2012 10:23:00 PM (view original):

Posted by zbrent716 on 9/18/2012 9:50:00 PM (view original):

Posted by sol_phenom3 on 9/18/2012 7:49:00 PM (view original):
Al, that's wrong.  It's 100 DIVIDED by Y(2+3) = 10.  Not 100 MINUS Y(2+3).  

Regardless, Y is 2.  It's simple math.  100 / 2(2+3) = 10.  Because 2(2+3) is either 2*5 or 2*2 + 2*3, either way, that gives you 10.  100 / 10 = 10.  Problem solved.

OK, so if Y=2 there... solve this:

6 ÷ 2 (1+2) =

9.

Where are people getting confused?

That's what I got too.

Order of Opps is probably throwing people off. I did it wrong the first time too. Parentheses FIRST, then divide 6 by 2, then multiply by 3.

Yeah, I'm sure that's what's going on.  People just have to remember multiplication and division are on the same order of operations level.  Should look at it as:

6 / 2 x 3

So here is another problem:

4(3y x 6)+11y= 93

Solve for y.