Why a traditional calculator may give you a completely different answer than a cellphone
Does 50+50x2 = 150 or 200? It depends who you ask.

Traditional calculator and smartphone calculator give different answers
Some people see math and automatically turn off their brains while others can't wait to figure out the problem presented. Math can be anxiety producing for some people but this random discovery of two calculators coming up with different answers to the same problem have people intrigued.
Spellbinding Odyssey shared a short video on X showing someone using a regular Casio calculator you can pick up at any store and the calculator that comes standard on a cellphone. The person in the video enters a simple equation on the cellphone calculator, 50+50x2. Instantaneously, the cellphone calculator displays the answer as 150. It doesn't take a mathematician to second guess that answer though many people might immediately second guess their own assumption that the answer given is incorrect.
On the traditional calculator, the same exact simple equation is entered in the same order, 50+50x2. But there's something weird that happens. The traditional calculator comes up with a completely different answer than the other calculator. This time the answer to the equation is 200, but how?
People in the comments of the post were quick to point out what was happening because math doesn't make everyone cry. There are quite a few people that enjoy the challenge and were able to explain why the phone was coming up 50 short of the expected. It turns out to be something really simple. Remember in late elementary school when math teachers excitedly taught the order of operations? That's what's a play here.
If you're one of the people that immediately walks away at the sight of math equations so your memory is a little fuzzy on that rule. Many people learned the acronym, "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally," where the beginning of each letter stands for the order in which you complete a simple mathematic equation. Parenthesis, exponent, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction.
In the case of the two calculators, one is using the order of operations and the other is not, commenters point out.
Can you explain this 🤔 pic.twitter.com/rYX6twPjOL
— Spellbinding Odyssey (@SpellOdyssey) April 2, 2024
"The iPhone Calculator is applying the order of operations (PEMDAS/BODMAS), which means it calculates multiplication and division before addition and subtraction. So, the operation it performs is "50 + (50 × 2)", resulting in 150. The Casio should too but some models and modes affect how it calculates. To avoid this issue, use parentheses," someone writes.
"The phone followed order of operations while the calculator made its calculations one at a time," another person points out.
Other people were a bit peeved that the cellphone calculator would be programmed to automatically assume a person was inputting equations in everyday life.
"A calculator's job is not to solve equations unless its a graphing calculator. A person trained to use a calculator will unknowingly receive the wrong answer when entering the equation "properly," a commenter protests.
"No telling how many ledgers, documents, etc are wrong," someone says.
"The iPhone seems to be less efficient than the old calculator. You have to press the = button after adding 50 + 50. If you don’t, the iPhone will assume like 50 + (50 x 2)," another writes.
You learn something new every day. If you're doing simple multistep math on your phone be sure you're pressing the equal sign after each step or you could wind up severely miscalculating unwittingly.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."