What is the answer to 6/2(1+2)

[Pixophir]

1 hour ago, OHara said:

I suppose humanity could decide on a convention to take P,E,M,D,A,S literally,

Nope, this isn't humanities decision, this is how mathematics work and that is the same all over the universe.

One cannot solve an ambiguously written expression, no matter which rules are applied. Personal interpretation comes in the way and that has no place in a proper expression. The above is not a proper expression, and the internet is full of such things. If people don't understand this and must live by simple thumb rules to perform basic operations, and are fooled by these because of bad writing, they cannot do the next step and solve expressions. And if even a mathematician comes along and tells them where the error lies and cannot make them think there is nothing one can do. It is the post factual world where logical reasoning has become meaningless.

Btw. and as stated upthread: desmos delivers the wrong solution only because of user input error, it is that simple.

 

Edited August 6, 2022 by Pixophir