Post #4256282
2026-07-30 05:26 UTC
@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world @simon@bne.social
"I hate these things because it's social convention where you mentally place the brackets" - there AREN'T any brackets.
"Some folks like to imagine math(s) is some Platonic thing" - it's a universal truth actually https://dotnet.social/@SmartmanApps/112019943359120289
"syntax is a human construction" - notation depends on culture, the rules don't
Replies (1)
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@ApostateEnglishman@mastodon.world 2026-07-30 05:34
@SmartmanApps@dotnet.social @simon@bne.social It's called the order of operations, which is indeed a notational convention. Is it (18÷3)x2 or 18÷(3x2)? They're different questions. The Platonic part is that both have a universally correct answer.