A moment of mathematical confusion unfolded during a recent podcast episode when hosts Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen found themselves stumped by what appeared to be a simple arithmetic problem: 2+2×2.
The struggle began when the duo was presented with the equation and asked to solve it. Their initial approach seemed straightforward enough, but quickly revealed a fundamental misunderstanding of mathematical order of operations.
“It’d be 8. It’d be 8,” one host confidently declared, explaining their reasoning: “2 plus 2 is 4 times 2 is 8.”
The logic seemed sound to them at first glance – add the first two numbers together, then multiply by the final number. However, as they continued working through the problem aloud, doubt began to creep in.
“4 times 2 is 8. Are we missing something here?” they questioned, sensing something wasn’t quite right with their approach.
The confusion deepened as they attempted to recalculate. “Wait, 2 plus 2… 2 plus 2 is 4 times 2. No, that’d be 4 times 4 is 16,” one host said, now arriving at an entirely different answer.
“16?” came the surprised response from his co-host.
Recognizing they were struggling, someone suggested they verify their answer using a calculator. “Try it on your calculators right now on your phone and see what happens,” they were advised.
The revelation that their answers were incorrect led to further bewilderment. “I’m missing something because it’s 4 times 2, isn’t it?” one host asked, still clinging to their original methodology.
An off-camera producer acknowledged their confusion: “Most people would agree with you, but it’s not how it works.”
The correct answer – 6 – finally emerged, but not without one final moment of confusion: “Yeah. Why is it 6?”
The mathematical stumble highlights a common misunderstanding of the order of operations, a fundamental concept typically taught in elementary school. According to standard mathematical rules, multiplication and division are performed before addition and subtraction, meaning 2+2×2 should be calculated as 2+(2×2), which equals 6, not the 8 or 16 the hosts initially calculated.
This type of mathematical mix-up demonstrates how even seemingly simple problems can trip up adults who may have forgotten basic arithmetic principles learned years ago in school.
