Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Verburg
many entities make their own definition of how to handle these issues based on their idiosyncratic needs, which may or may not be based on the math, but rather on their convenience.
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That's the thing, Bill, these conventions are not based on the math. They are to help make equations easier to read and interpret. Basically, some group of mathematicians decided on the convention PEMDAS based on their idiosyncratic needs and convenience.
There are competing conventions in mathematics as well. One example:
Natural number - AoPSWiki
The whole idea behind conventions like PEMDAS is too make it so we can all interpret equations as the person that wrote the equation intended. The math community thinks equations like these are ambiguous:
48÷2(9+3) = ?
6÷2(1+2)= ?
Even this is considered ambiguous:
1/2x = ?
These equations should be written differently to avoid ambiguity.
Scott