Why won't people use parentheses?

Question

The proper use of parentheses eliminates ambiguity. So why does hardly anybody use parentheses when they ask a math question on Yahoo Answers? What is the problem? Are they allergic to parentheses?

Answer 1

Many people in beginning courses may not realize just how important they are.

And I do see a lot of pre-algebra questions. So, if someone is having trouble with 2x + 7 = 19, then I will not expect him to perfect writing (2x + 3)/5.

Usually, I'll try to confirm if the question is written correctly. The handy thing about homework questions is that the answers are usually pretty nice, so you can tell when someone messes up.

Answer 2

In my opinion it is the same reason people won't spell correctly: the instantness and anonymity of the internet discourage formality. Those who are poor spellers have no incentive to make the effort to spell correctly, because no one thinks less of them for it, in this format. Correspondingly, those who have a less-firm grasp of the importance of parentheses do not see the need to use them.
In the case of parentheses, this phenomenon can lead to miscommunication much more easily than in the case of spelling, in which context makes up for much of what is lost.

Answer 3

Could be allergies. Or it could be that the majority of people who ask the math questions are struggling in math, and therefore things like PEMDAS and proper notation are a little too much to ask right now. Hopefully spending time here getting help and receiving answers that are well written is helping them to learn, though.

Answer 4

the way you've that's genuine. i will't imagine that any one would locate fault which includes your substituting a series of parentheses with a series of brackets (see you later as both aspect of the set are an same, of direction). So the way you've that's ideal, as would, "E. importance of the retina in the interest [what the pigment (eye colour) in the iris is holding].... " or "E. importance of the retina in the interest (what the pigment [eye colour] in the iris is holding)...." the in trouble-free words distinction using brackets would make is that it would decelerate your typing. except you're a hunt-and-%. typist, your hands already recognize the position both aspect of the parentheses are, yet i recognize I had to quit to seek for the brackets keys - :)

Answer 5

the answer is the same reason english is becoming less and less grammatically correct. little errors continue to grow and grow until the original language is nothing like the old language because people are trying to save .01 seconds. in the process they become incorrect. without parenthesis the entire math problem can be changed around.

Answer 6

Because people don't type their homework usually so if you're writing a fraction on a piece of paper, you don't use parenthesis because you know where the numerator and denominator is by looking at it.

Personally, I'm not allergic to them and hope that people use them more often (at least when necessary).

Answer 7

Punctuation takes even more of a beating here than spelling or grammar. It's the youth factor, I believe.

Answer 8

Because some people are tired of answering peoples math questions when they are to lazy to do it themselves...You are probably one of those people who are lazy and ask math questions..

Answer 9

It is usually obvious where the parenthesis would go if they were there, and this makes them unnecessary

Answer 10

They're the same people who don't use their turn signals when turning.