Quote:
Originally Posted by winders
...1/2x lacks clarity is open to interpretation. Period. No self-respecting mathematician would write it out that way.
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Bill Verburg isn't being stubborn; he's trying to teach you a bit of math, a discipline which is totally devoid of emotions such as stubbornness.
1/2x doesn't lack clarity; it clearly means, one half of the number x, or it means one half (.5) times some unspecified number.
It means 1/2 * x/1 = 2x = 1 = x = 1/2
That "No self-respecting mathematician would write it out that way" has nothing to do with clarity or interpretation. It has only to do with convention being followed to avoid mistakes. Not following convention doe not equate to incorrect math.