Okay so let’s say, hypothetically, I have the equation FL^3. Does it turn into F^3 times L^3, or F times L^3, or (F times L)^3. Literally no one has ever explained this to me and I’ve always just been too afraid to ask and now i’m taking engineering and I’m very confused. I’ve tried googling it but nothing has given me a straight answer. Please help.
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The following explanation assumes whoever wrote the equation knew what they were doing.
When multiplying variables there is an implied * between any letters. AB=A*B.
Therefore FL<sup>3</sup> =F*L<sup>3.</sup>
If the author intends for this to equal F<sup>3</sup>*L<sup>3,</sup> they would write it out as (FL)<sup>3.</sup>
Because the implied * is standardized in mathematics notation, if the parentheses are not there it is safe to assume the equation was meant to read as F*L<sup>3.</sup>
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