this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023
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I didn't know until now that I unconsciously use strong implicit multiplication (meaning that I get the answer "1"). I believe it happens more or less as a consequence of starting inside the parentheses and then working my way out.
It is a funny little bit of notational ambiguity, so it is funny that people get riled up about it.
It's not ambiguous - it's The Distributive Law. You got the correct answer, you just forgot what the rule is called (as opposed to people who forget the rule altogether).