Order of operations - what is 6÷2(1+2) ?

[DavidM]

(12-12-2020 07:59 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Does anyone here recall being taught PEJMDAS, even if that acronym wasn't used?

I honestly don't recall any conversation about these topics in any math class, but that could just be my memory failing me.

It seems to me that expressions were always written in such a way that the groupings were obvious, usually involving alterations of element size, length of division bars, and parentheses where appropriate to emphasize relationships of operations.

As a computer science major in the early '80s, I distinctly remember being taught to use parentheses liberally in source code expressions, even when we thought they wouldn't be needed. This was specifically to avoid potential problems resulting from differences in implementation. I remember feeling at the time that it was an overly-cautious practice, but age has taught me to appreciate the value of specificity in source code for things like that.