Re: [HM] Re: The order of operations
Judith Grabiner (jgrabine@calvin.pitzer.edu)
Mon, 9 Nov 1998 09:43:17 -0800 (PST)
Dear Dr. Nxawe,
Some years ago I read an article in the Mathematical Gazette
which suggested that the agreement over order of operations
came at the end of the 19th century and was the result
of mass-produced textbooks.
One certainly sees in the 18th and 19th centuries such
notations as
n.n-1.n-2.n-3...3.2.1
for n!
in which the a.b + c = (a.b) + c
convention is violated.
I hope this is helpful--I am sorry that I no longer have an
exact reference.
--Judith Grabiner