sweitzen wrote:

lucek wrote:Changing the form

X2=X*X

Y=1/X2

So Y=1/X*X

for now let's ignore Y=1/-X*-X

Does Y=(1/X)*X or Y=1/(X*X)

X2

is NOT the same as

X*X

for purposes of evaluating order of operations. The former makes use of exponentiation, a higher precedence than multiplication, which the latter term uses.

So is X*X*5=20 and X2*5=20 where X=2 wrong? if so which one?

Instead of dropping into the internet aether I'll give an excuse. I'm an idiot. Done. I've realize I've been reading this all as 48/2(9+3) IE the formatting in my head was wrong.

IE I meant 1/X*X*X when I wrote 1/X*X*X

sweitzen wrote:

lucek wrote:Instead of dropping into the internet aether I'll give an excuse. I'm an idiot. Done. I've realize I've been reading this all as 48/2(9+3) IE the formatting in my head was wrong.

IE I meant 1/X*X*X when I wrote 1/X*X*X

Ah, yes, that resolves the discrepancy nicely. Perhaps that will shed illumination on others similarly confused.

I wish I could say I've never made basic errors before, but I'd be lying.

We all have. It wasn't too long ago that I was having an argument on this forum with someone, clearly smart, where he claimed that you can't tell the velocity of a moving object due to there not being a universal frame of reference, but forgetting that we were talking about angular velocity.

As they say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

sweitzen wrote:

lucek wrote:Instead of dropping into the internet aether I'll give an excuse. I'm an idiot. Done. I've realize I've been reading this all as 48/2(9+3) IE the formatting in my head was wrong.

IE I meant 1/X*X*X when I wrote 1/X*X*X

I've been puzzling over why this confuses so many people. Would the expression:

48÷2(9+3)

(i.e., using "÷" instead of "/") been any less confusing? I can see how "/" could lead a reader to assume everything to the right is part of the denominator.

Me personally I don't use /. Well I usually do math by hand so scratch paper doesn't need to be one line.