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The equation that broke the Internet

17 bytes added, 05:41, 1 January 2022
We would not write 2(a+b) as (2(a+b)), nor can we re-write the given equation as 6÷2*(a+b) and maintain the same value. We can however, rewrite the full equation to include an explicit multiplier if we take care to maintain the grouping with additional bracketing 6÷(2*(a+b)).
=== Obelus ===Granted, the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210417145938/https://www.wyzant.com/resources/blogs/14831/the_obelus_for_division obelus (÷)] is an archaic symbol for division, it visually represents a fraction with one dot being the numerator and the other being the denominator. Computers use the forward slash for division because the standard keyboard does not have an obelus key.
* 2(1+2) is understood to be a function, placing this function anywhere in a larger equation must always resolve to the same value. The equation, 6÷2(1+2)=? is illustrative to why we cannot substitute explicit multiplication for implied multiplication without additional bracketing, in other words, 6÷2(1+2) is not equal to 6÷2*(1+2).