
Originally Posted by
niky
You guys are still at it?
Let's be clear... the PEMDAS rule is a red herring.
it's not about whether you do the multiplication or division first, but about implicit and explicit expression... which though some claim is not a hard and fast rule, is still a rule given advanced math.
Let's write this form as an algebraic expression:
48/2(9+3)... we're clear that 9+3 is done first, whatever else may hold, so:
48/2(12)
Now, let's write it as thus:
48 = a
2 = b
12 = c
Now, we can rewrite it as thus:
a/bc
So... can anyone who's actually studied math claim that:
a/bc =
ac
b
instead of:
a
bc
The first gives you 288. The second gives you 2.
To actually get ac/b, you need to rewrite the expression as thus: a/b*c.
Since no explicit "*" or "x" sign is used, you regard the whole as part of the denominator, using the division sign as a grouping sign (fractional)... which is exactly what the division sign is.