Order of Operations
A friend sent me this question: “What is 6 ÷ 2(1 + 2)?”
If the order of operations is used correctly, the answer is not 1.
This simple math problem illustrates the need for a universal, agreed-upon set of mathematical rules. Would you drive over a bridge, enter a building, or get on an airplane whose designer ignored the order of operations? Or perhaps revised them a bit to suit his or her preference?
Once a society establishes a social compact or a set of norms, everyone must abide by it, or like the bridge, the building, and the airplane, it eventually falls.
P.S. I am not going to state the correct answer, but I will give this hint: In the order of operations, multiplication and division are ranked equally. The expression is evaluated from left to right.
Objects in a Bag 