Question

Simplify the expression

1+5 . 3
----------
    2

18
9
8
16

Answer 1

`(1+5)/(2)\cdot 3=(6)/(2)\cdot 3\\\\=3\cdot 3=9`

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An equation editor or parentheses and conventional math symbols can help you communicate what you mean. Customarily, an asterisk (*) is used for multiplication, and a slash (/) is used for division. Numerators need to be in parentheses if any arithmetic is involved.

The above interpretation would be written in text form as ...

(1+5)/2*3

And if you really wanted people to know for sure that the 3 is not in the denominator, you would write it as

((1+5)/2)*3 . . . . or . . . . 3*(1+5)/2

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Some folks (and some computer programs) use a dot on the baseline to indicate multiplication. For most of us, that location for a dot means it should be interpreted as a decimal point. That is 3.3 = 3 + 3/10, not 3×3.

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If you mean the 3 to be above the fraction bar, then ...

`(1+5\cdot 3)/(2)=(1+15)/(2)\\\\=(16)/(2)=8`

In text form, this is (1+5*3)/2 = 8.