[kjc]

Originally Posted by 107barney

Huh?

I'll rephrase --

48÷2(9+3)

Answer:
I added 9 + 3 to get 12 to lose the parenthesis giving me
48÷2 x 12 and you have to work from L to R.

48 divided by 2 = 24 and 24 x 12 = 288

Not sure what you mean about using the two twice.

Oh gotcha... but...

48÷2(9+3) The 2(means 2 X what is in the () and they cannot be removed until the contents of the () are multiplied by the number in front of the (). That is a rule. Really. It can be done this way 2(12) or the Rule of Distribution which would be 2x9 + 2x3, or 18 + 6 = 24.