The left to right rule is not one of mathematics. But it is an accepted rule for consistency....and this question shows exactly why. The answer is 288!!!! The question is a poorly written expression but that does not matter due to the above.
I want people to actually read through this whole thread once before posting/regurgitating the same thing over and over.
5th grade. Rule 1: First perform any calculations inside parentheses. Rule 2: Next perform all multiplications and divisions (this does not mean perform muliplications BEFORE divisions), working from left to right. Rule 3: Lastly, perform all additions and subtractions, working from left to right.
Lol what? Why are you doing it left to right? Think of division as multiplication, 5/3=5*(1/3) Just like you think of subtraction as addition, 5-3=5+(-3)
There is no multiplication symbol, only a number attached to parentheses. One could also write the following: 48 ÷ -(9+3) Which is the same thing as 48 ÷ -1(9+3) How do you treat that Sherlock?
Just to add to this, you can change the format of the question like this: (48/1) / (2/1) * (12/1) -----> (48/1) * (1/2) * (12/1) Now no matter which order you do it, you'll always get 288.
When you follow the order of operation, you go from left to right when multiplying/dividing. There aren't separate steps...