University College London associate professor Hannah Fry explained the two possibilities to the mind-boggling algebra equation.
A mathematician has provided an explanation to a simple maths question that has left thousands of Twitter users across the globe baffled.
The algebra equation was first posted by a user under the handle @pjmdoll, who challenged people to solve: 8÷2(2+2)=?
Alongside she shared an anime scene from popular Japanese manga Naruto with the equation on the blackboard.
More than 14,000 people have liked her tweet and thousands replied with their answers – although not everyone agreed.