[OwnedByJezebel]

The difference in answers here is due to when some believe the "parentheses goes away."

I don't happen to believe that just because you add the 9 and the 3, the parentheses has gone away. After you add the 9 and the three, the equation becomes:

48 / 2(12)

Adding two numbers in a parentheses does not eliminate the parentheses. Taking what is in the parentheses and multiplying it to the number just to the left (or unknown, such as "x", "y", etc.) does eliminate the parentheses.