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Egan J Chernoff, Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Saskatchewan

The simple reason a viral math equation stumped the internet

Inappropriate ways of denoting multiplication are everywhere. (Shutterstock)

For about a decade now, mathematicians and mathematics educators have been weighing in on a particular debate rooted in school mathematics that shows no signs of abating.

The debate, covered by Slate, Popular Mechanics, The New York Times and many other outlets, is focused on an equation that went so “viral” that it, eventually, was lumped with other phenomena that have “broken” or “divided” the internet.

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