It has to be 288. It's how PEMDAS works.  

288, accidentally clicked 2.  

@Talon: I was taught that it doesn't matter which comes first, multiply or division but normally the thing that comes first is done first.  

Yes, that's what I was taught as well.  

(48/2)*(9+3)

24*12

288.

That makes more sense, i guess the tricky part is how strangely the equation is put together. Usually people dont structure equations like that. Like this it doesnt have controversy over order of operations.  

I was taught order of operations in 5th grade lol  

Posted by Pimpsy G.

Because parentheses allways come first?

But the 2 isn't inside the parentheses.  

Even if you put multiplication and division on the same tier and treat them chronologically, parenthesis and exponents always come first. The entire purpose of parenthesis is to let the person know to do that portion first. Though distribution is vague in its place in order of operations that we're all taught(PEMDAS), I was always taught to distribute first and I'm pretty sure that is also a very fundamental aspect of algebra.  

Some people think that juxtaposition of parentheses takes precedence over the MD operations because its still grouped in a set of parentheses, rather than a multiplication operation. I was taught both methods in school by two different teachers, both saying the other was wrong.  

Posted by Rexx

But the 2 isn't inside the parentheses.

Again, this equation is worded very poorly. It makes much more sense structured properly as (48/2)*(9+3)  

Posted by Dusty

Even if you put multiplication and division on the same tier and treat them chronologically, parenthesis and exponents always come first. The entire purpose of parenthesis is to let the person know to do that portion first. Though distribution is vague in its place in order of operations that we're all taught(PEMDAS), I was always taught to distribute first and I'm pretty sure that is also a very fundamental aspect of algebra.

But the thing is that the (9+3) parenthesis operation was already done, and now its just grouped in a set of parentheses as a multiplication op. That's what I was taught, anyway.  

I was taught that you always distribute before solving the contents of a parenthesis. I imagine in more complex algebra you're gonna have a rough time if you don't distribute first.  

Well this problem was probably a example for a certain method.  

Posted by Dusty

I was taught that you always distribute before solving the contents of a parenthesis. I imagine in more complex algebra you're gonna have a rough time if you don't distribute first.

Worded like (48/2)*(9+3) it adds up to 288. Worded like 48/2(9+3) makes you wonder if you are supposed to do the distribution, but you should not because there is already a 48 being divided from it and you need to do that first before you distribute the two. Because of this it is it should be worded like (48/2)*(9+3), which is 24(9+3) = 288  

Well, here are the three ways different people have computed it.

If one strictly uses the standard order of operations to solve mathematical expressions, the answer to the problem would be 288, which is also the same solution provided by WolframAlpha[17] and Google.[18]

By convention, the order of precedence in a mathematical expression is as follows:

Terms inside of Brackets or Parentheses.
Exponents and Roots.
Multiplication and Division.
Addition and Subtraction.

If there are two or more operations with equal precedence (such as 10÷2÷5 or 7÷2*9), those operations should be done from left to right.

Therefore, the problem “48÷2(9+3) =” would be solved like this:
48 ÷ 2 * (9+3)=
48 ÷ 2 * (12)=
48 ÷ 2 * 12=
24 * 12=
288

Solving for the answer 2 is sometimes a result of doing multiplication before division. Much of the confusion can be blamed on PEMDAS (sometimes known as, “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally”) and other similar mnemonics used to teach order of operations in schools.

As an example, PEMDAS stands for:

Parentheses
Exponentiation
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction

Whereas BEDMAS stands for:

Brackets
Exponentiation
Division
Multiplication
Addition
Subtraction

The former can lead to the implication that addition always comes before subtraction, and that multiplication always comes before division. The latter can lead to the implication that addition always comes before subtraction, and that division always comes before multiplication.

If one uses multiplication before division (PEMDAS being especially popular in the United States), the problem would be solved like this:
48 ÷ 2 * (9+3)=
48 ÷ 2 * (12)=
48 ÷ 2 * 12=
48 ÷ 24=
2

However, solving the problem like this would be considered erroneous because multiplication and division hold equal precedence.[19]


It is helpful to remember that division and multiplication are inverse operations, and thus represent the same operation written in a different way. Division is the same as multiplication of the reciprocal, and multiplication is the same as division of the reciprocal. This is similar to how addition is the same as subtraction of the negative, and how raising to the nth power is the same as taking the 1/nth root.

However, the answer 2 could be justified by the principle of implied multiplication. For example, consider the problem "2/5x."

If one strictly follows the standard order of operations, the correct interpretation would be “(2/5)*(x).”

But many calculators and textbooks state that a higher value of precedence should be placed on implied multiplication than on explicit multiplication:

Because “5x” is implied to be "5*x," it gets higher priority than "2/5." In this case, "2/5x" would be interpreted as "(2)/(5*x)."

Returning to the original problem, if one utilizes the principles of implied multiplication, then “2(9+3)” gets higher precedence than the explicit “48/2,” and would be solved like this:
48 ÷ 2(9+3)=
48 ÷ 2(12)=
48 ÷ 24=
2

Also, a poll screencapped from PhysicsForums.