Mathematical dispute

[yanamaster]

IIIIITHE1IIIII said:
I think they should have written: 48/(2(3+9)) if they wanted to make sure that the answer is 2.

Still, I'm not too certain if the number 2 is part of the brackets or not. And different mathematicians come up with different answers so I really don't see the discussion value.

In school I was taught that there may be two different ways of solving this, by the way.

Please notice that i have never stated that my intention is to prove that there is only one correct way to solve this equation. Rather i was wondering if my initial findings, that people educated in the west tend to answer 288 and people educated in the eastern parts of the world  tend to answer 2, are valid. 

I actually put this thread up on a forum in Russia and i am starting to think that i was correct. Obviously vgchartz houses more people from western countries than otherwise and here i'm witnessing more people asnwer 288 and in Russia vice versa.

so let's just call it a social experiment on my side ;)