Probaby gonna get a ton of flak for this but...

[toml_12953]

(04-15-2020 01:35 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  There is no universally accepted "rule" for that equation as it is written. About 50% of people asked "What is the answer to 48/2(9+3)" will respond with "2" and the other 50% will answer "288". The lesson here is don't write equations like that.

Just because 50% give the wrong answer (2) doesn't mean there are no rules. It just means that 50% don't know the rules.

With the Prime in textbook mode, the user has to know the expression in parentheses doesn't go in the denominator when obeying the standard rules. If you type without thinking, Prime gives

48
--------
2(9+3)

which is wrong. Not because the calculator is wrong but the user is wrong for not moving the cursor out from under the denominator before pressing Enter like so:

48
--- (9+3)
2

A clear case of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out)

Another example is even simpler: 2/5+7

Without thinking:

2
-----
5+7

Proper:

2
--- + 7
5

The calculator has no way of knowing when the denominator should end. It's up to the user to manually move the cursor to the right.