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Intuitively answer of $(1/1)/(1/(5^{-2}))=25$ But assuming this mathematical logic of evaluating $(a/b) /(c/d) = (a*d) / (b*c)$ equation evaluates to $1/25$.

Is there any specified rule to put parenthesis ..

What i have studied in operator associativity is / is having left to right associativity which evaluates the above to 25 .

Google Result of 1/1/1/5^-2

littleO
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ATul Singh
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    Why do you say intuitively the answer is $25$? – littleO Aug 23 '14 at 08:47
  • replace $5^{-2}$ by $(5^2)^{-1}$ – Vikram Aug 23 '14 at 09:08
  • @littleO i have written it as 1/1/1/5^-2 – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:14
  • Request to person who edited question please make it as 1/1/1/5^-2 – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:16
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    The parentheses are important. $(12/6)/2 \neq 12/(6/2)$. – littleO Aug 23 '14 at 09:16
  • @littleO i know it but if they are not given how parenthesis will be applied on it – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:25
  • If parentheses aren't given, and you just have an expression like $1/1/1/5^{-2}$, then I think the convention is to perform the divisions from left to right. When you originally asked this question, I think you gave the expression $(1/1)/(1/5^{-2})$. We can't just throw away those parentheses and expect to get the same answer. – littleO Aug 23 '14 at 10:12
  • @littleO: "the convention is to perform the divisions from left to right": I agree. That's certainly how a compiler would do it. Any other convention would be insane, so the question is, do we just go ahead and evaluate it as $((1/1)/1)/5^{-2}$, or do we refuse to evaluate it, insisting on disambiguating parentheses? – TonyK Aug 23 '14 at 11:06
  • @TonyK: ... Any convention would be alright. Even if I evaluate an equivalent statement as $a/(b/(c/d))$ , it's not actually wrong because I wasn't given any brackets and I'm like blind and sitting in a dark room, the only way I can move on is by just guessing where things are. I can either guess with my walking stick (like a compiler evaluating pairs) or I could tap into my inner primate and ask the spirits of my ancestors what my surroundings look like (like a hippy math dude that's high on symmetry) – Nick Aug 23 '14 at 17:05
  • @Nick: In view of your comment, I retract my 'insane' judgment. I am prepared to weaken it to 'disturbed'. – TonyK Aug 23 '14 at 17:52
  • @TonyK: I'm sorry if poetic thought sounds abnormal to your logical instruments. What I meant to say was that although $((a/b)/c)/d$ is how computers do it, the human convention is $(a/b)/(c/d)$ due to our centered mindset. – Nick Aug 23 '14 at 18:17

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This is where you're wrong:

$\dfrac{\frac{1}{1}}{\frac{1}{5^{-2}}} = \dfrac{\frac{1}{1}}{5^2} = \frac{1}{25} \neq 25$

Most likely, because you've forgotten that $5^{-2} = \frac{1}{5^2}$

barak manos
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The traditional method may seem strange: $$\frac{\frac{a}{b}}{\frac{c}{d}} = \frac{ad}{bc} $$

This isn't any magic trick. It's just that we are assuming that $\frac{\frac{a}{b}}{\frac{c}{d}} = \frac{(\frac{a}{b})}{(\frac{c}{d})}$

$$\large \frac { \frac { \color{red}{a} } { \color{blue}{b} } } { \frac { \color{green}{c} } { \color{orange}{d} } } = \frac { \color{red}{a} } { \color{blue}{b} } \div \frac { \color{green}{c} }{ \color{orange}{d} } = \frac{\color{red}a}{\color{blue}b} \times \frac{\color{orange}d}{\color{green}c} = \frac{\color{red}{a}\color{orange}{d}}{\color{blue}{b}\color{green}{c}}$$

So naturally, $$\frac{\frac{1}{1}}{\frac{1}{5^{-2}}} = \frac{1}{1} \cdot \frac{5^{-2}}{1} = 5^{-2} = \frac{1}{25}$$

Again, please do bear in mind that $$x^{-n} = (x^n)^{-1} = \frac1{x^n} \implies 5^{-2} = \frac{1}{5^2} = \frac{1}{5\times 5} = \frac1{25}$$


But there is a problem when a non-human does it:

If you enter $1\div 1\div 1 \div 5^{-2}$ into some old calculator, it could give you the wrong answer because of the way it prefers to evaluate the statement. So it'll end up: $$ (((1\div 1)\div 1) \div 5^{-2}) = \frac{(\frac{(1/1)}{1})}{5^{-2}} = 5^2 = 25$$

Why? :: When you have $a\star b\star c \star d$ where $\star$ is some binary operation, one can only guess how the order of operation is going to be. A binary operation is made to only take in 2 guys and spit out 1 guy. If brackets are not provided to indicate how to evaluate it, we would simply choose the easiest way for us to evaluate.

We, as human beings, like symmetry and order so we naturally pair it as: $$(a\star b)\star (c \star d) $$

But a computer is impatient to look at the whole thing would evaluate the statement as it is read from left to right: $$((a\star b)\star c) \star d$$

Actually, the convenient way of thinking about it is that the computer is giving more priority to the binary-ness of the operation by focusing on creating pairs (of $x\star y$) first. So after it evaluates $a\star b$ and in memory turns it into a single entity, it then evaluates $(a\star b)\star c$ which is again stored as a single entity and finally outputes the result of $((a\star b)\star c)\star d$


There are scientific calculator with natural displays that allow you to enter such fractions in the same way we write them on paper (in $\frac{x}{y}$ form) so that confusions like yours do not arise.
Nick
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  • https://www.quora.com/Intuitively-answer-of-1-1-1-5-2-25-But-going-to-traditional-mathematical-logic-of-evaluating-a-b-c-d-ad-bc-By-this-above-equation-evaluates-to-1-25-Where-I-am-wrong/answer/Obaidur-Rahman-4/comment/5964030?snids=614737333&nsrc=2&filter=priority#comment5964093 – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:03
  • I also get that calculator can give wrong results but it would be your great help if you can provide some reference where its told that parenthesis are to put in some spefied fashion – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:22
  • @ATulSingh: How the parenthesis is put depends on the calculator, whether it be human or machine. I've added an explanation in my answer. – Nick Aug 23 '14 at 09:41
  • Left to right associativity is followed here from that we will get 25 – ATul Singh Aug 23 '14 at 09:58
  • @ATulSingh: Yes, exactly. But I screwed up in the explanation of that earlier. Now, I've corrected it and expanded on it. Please do read it. – Nick Aug 23 '14 at 15:59
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The answer is that we can't just throw away parentheses and expect to get the same answer. The parentheses are important.

littleO
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