PEMDAS is what they teach school children to help them learn. Like most such rules, it’s oversimplified and doesn’t quite work all the time.
The proper way is to write a fraction top and bottom. Thus, 8(2+2) / 2 = 16, while 8 / 2(2+2) = 1. The implicit multiplication simply does not work if they’re split across the fraction.
PEMDAS is what they teach school children to help them learn. Like most such rules, it’s oversimplified and doesn’t quite work all the time.
The proper way is to write a fraction top and bottom. Thus, 8(2+2) / 2 = 16, while 8 / 2(2+2) = 1. The implicit multiplication simply does not work if they’re split across the fraction.
PEMDAS sucks as a mnemonic, we can agree on this.
Try 8/2(2+2) on an actual calculator that’s used by scientists.
Something like a Ti-83 would show 16, not 1.
Replace (2+2) with x:
8 / 2x = 4 / x = 4 / (2+2) = 1
Implicit multiplication takes priority over division.
My Casio fx-991 gives 1. If I put in an explicit multiplication, then I get 16.