What is the answer?

[TheOtherTed]

1 hour ago, battlewraith said:

I understand that from a programming perspective PEMDAS is preferable, but maybe that preference shouldn't bleed into other areas.

It can't help but bleed into other areas, IMO, because current and future accountants, scientists, big data analysts, etc. will use whatever math software is available to them.  As both I and @WanderingAries mentioned, it's probably best just to use parentheses (or brackets) liberally to avoid ambiguity.

[WanderingAries]

19 hours ago, battlewraith said:

In the second video I posted above ("PEMDAS is wrong"), she looks at examples from different sources in different fields using PEJMDAS.

In physics, she looked at Richard Feynman's math in his famous lecture series. In the description for that video, she asks:

 

"When it comes to order of operations (PEMDAS, BODMAS, BEDMAS, BIDMAS), who are you going to believe: your primary school teacher, or Richard Feynman?"

 

That kind of settles it for me. "1" is the correct answer. The reason being that if we don't accept that answer, due to PEMDAS, then we would have to deem a vast quantity of theory by mathematicians, scientists, etc. that worked, AND was the foundation of subsequent theory, as incorrect. I understand that from a programming perspective PEMDAS is preferable, but maybe that preference shouldn't bleed into other areas.

 

It's preferable, but IIRC we're given the equation with all the appropriate Parenthesis. That way we dont' have to also be a mathematician. 😛

[JasperStone]

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[Mike Morbid]

The answer, of course, is pie. If you want to get specific, pumpkin pie.