Dr P
“but who has the authority to make this convention”
I’m not sure. but the fact that every math textbook says same is a good indication.
” and what happens if someone doesn’t follow it? (I.e. what are the consequences going to be? Can an architect be sued if the builder uses a different convention and the building collapses?)”
I would think for sure. If Architect said using my convention 3 + 2 = 6, or 1 + 2 × 3 = 9 . Of course he could be sued. neither of those are correct.
(When documenting a process, I personally put in parentheses very generously to avoid any ambiguity.)
emes
“1. Following the system where multiplication is deemed a higher order operation than division:… Neither answer is more correct or better, they just reflect a different set of rules for parsing the equation.”
Can you provide a source for this system? I have never heard of it (except from people who misremembered/ never learnt PEMDAS)
“Reading the comments here amaze me how convoluted people are in their thinking.”
Same!
This very topic amazed me when I first encountered it. I still find it fascinating