this post was submitted on 07 Dec 2023
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[โ€“] Umbrias@beehaw.org -2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Under pemdas divisor operators must literally be completed after multiplication. They are not of equal priority unless you restructure the problem to be of multiplication form, which requires making assumptions about the intent of the expression.

[โ€“] theshatterstone54@feddit.uk 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Okay, let me put it in other words: Pemdas and bodmas are bullshit. They are made up to help you memorise the order of operations. Multiplication and division are on the same level, so you do them linearly aka left to right.

[โ€“] Umbrias@beehaw.org 1 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Pemdas and bodmas are not bullshit, they are a standard to disambiguate expression communication. They are order of operations. Multiplication and division are not on the same level, they are distinct operations which form the identity when combined with a multiplication.

Similarly, log(x) and e^x are not the same operation, but form identity when composited.

Formulations of division in algebra allow it to be at the same priority as multiplication by restructuring it as multiplication, but that requires formulating the expression a particular way. The รท operator however is strictly division. That's its purpose. It's not a fantastic operator for common usage because of this.

There are valid orders of operations, such as depmas which I just made up which would make the above expression extremely ambiguous. Completely mathematically valid, order of ops is an established convention, not mathematical fact.

[โ€“] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 2 points 9 months ago (2 children)

This comment is the epitome of being confidently wrong on the internet.

[โ€“] Umbrias@beehaw.org 1 points 9 months ago (1 children)

For one misinterpretation? Are you sure about that?

[โ€“] SmartmanApps@programming.dev -1 points 6 months ago

There was 3 misinterpretations - see my reply to them.

[โ€“] SmartmanApps@programming.dev -1 points 6 months ago

confidently wrong on the internet

I made a hashtag for people #LoudlyNotUnderstandingThings :-)

[โ€“] SmartmanApps@programming.dev 0 points 6 months ago

They are order of operations

No, they're not.

Multiplication and division are not on the same level

Yes, they are.

they are distinct operations which form the identity when combined with a multiplication

In other words, they are the inverse operation of each other - welcome to why they have the same precedence.

order of ops is an established convention, not mathematical fact

It's a mathematical fact.

[โ€“] SmartmanApps@programming.dev 0 points 6 months ago

Under pemdas divisor operators must literally be completed after multiplication

Not literally. It's only a mnemonic, not the actual rules.

They are not of equal priority

Yes, they are. Binary operators have equal precedence, and unary operators have equal precedence.