What is this "order of operation" cult now with math?

[Steve Simpkin]

(04-03-2021 07:48 PM)Vtile Wrote:  I see, I should have used a search. I think we should make infix illegal for whole world.

Which leads to my distaste of (basic) mathematics as subject, until found the RPN which made it logical and enjoy to use once again. Łukasiewicz were indeed right.

LOL Yes but RPN would not really help us for this case. It would just make us responsible for deciding what order to solve the equation. I have seen this type of badly written equation debated, often with religious fervor, by many people with roughly half coming up with one answer and the other half with a different answer. That is the very definition of ambiguous. Many people assume the way they were taught to solve such a poorly written problem is the one and only "true" way not realizing that others may have been taught differently. It doesn't help that algebraic calculator manufacturers have implemented different interpretations for this form of equation and have sometimes changed their minds with different models.

   
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I think the lesson to be learned here is to avoid writing an equation is such a way that it can be interpreted differently by people. An extra set of parentheses in this case would make your intentions clear to *everyone* with nothing to debate.