Final answer:
The parentheses in the expression 10:5 + 4(72-6) indicate that you should subtract 6 from 72 before multiplying the result by 4, adhering to the order of operations.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student posed the question: What do these parentheses indicate in the expression 10:5 + 4(72-6)? The correct interpretation of the parentheses in this mathematical expression is that you should subtract 6 from 72 before multiplying by 4. This means that the operation inside the parentheses (72 - 6) is performed first before the resulting value is multiplied by the number outside the parentheses, which is 4. This follows the order of operations, often remembered by the acronym PEMDAS, which stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right).