[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bill Verburg

there are certainly a lot of students and ex students that are/were mediocre at best in math

to force the x before the ÷ in the above it would have to be in parenthesis
48 ÷ (2(12))

similarly
48 / 2 x 12 is not the same as 48 / (2 x 12)

You know that. I know that, and about 35% of the guys on Pelican know that. The guys that really need convincing are these two.

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

One SHOULD interpret the equation in the conventional way. The convention used in EVERY math course, EVERY physics course, and EVERY engineering course I (or anyone else) has ever taken is that you do the implied multiplication or division on a parenthetical term immediately after you perform the work inside the parenthesis.
To an engineer the intent of the calculation 48/2*9+3 is ambiguous. The intent of 48/2(9+3) is clear as a bell. Everything to the left of the division sign is in the numerator, everything to the right is in the denominator.

Originally Posted by romad

2(9+3) is one term. the parenthesis do not drop off after you work 9+3

so 48/2(9+3)
48/2(12)
48/24
2

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

Those are the same problem.