This simple math problem went viral (about five million views) on YouTube:

6÷3(1+2)

What is your answer and its justification?

(In reply to Don't get me started... (but) ... by Charlie)

I completely agree. 

Put another way, does 6÷3(1+2) =(6/3)(1+2) or 6/(3(1+2))?

It's not entirely certain, so if in doubt, spell it out.

Personally I probably overuse brackets, but that's because I've found from painful experience how much effort can be wasted by a single lapse in notation. I have a lot of time for Presh Talwalkar, but in this case I found his 'explanation' quite frustrating, for this very reason.

The reference to maths and physics texts is interesting. Typesetting may be a factor.

I remember reading somewhere that typesetting fraction bars was typographically expensive and added greatly to printing costs. It was consequently mostly limited to specialist texts, which may explain the distinction.

Again, the point is, of course, the need for precision of exposition in such texts - the same issue that the glib 'right answer' fails to address.

Edited on August 10, 2018, 2:38 am

Posted by broll on 2018-08-10 02:34:39