If you've spent way too much time on the internet lately, you'll likely have seen way too many memes about how kids today don't understand the order of operations. The typical format is some bookface (tm) post along the lines of:
999,999 out of 1,000,000 people get this wrong:
3 + 4(3+2) - 2 X 3 = ?
- 17
- The darkness at the end of all time
- 97
- (audible belch)
And then there's someone confidently giving the wrong answer.
Of course, the correct answer can only be arrived at by following the prescribed order of operations. This same concept comes up quite often in civil procedure, but the application is often less straightforward than good old …
