davee wrote in
oups.com:

addition is not associative

2+3x5=17 or 2+3x5=25 or (2+3)x5=25 or 2+(3x5)=17
correct..........wrong..........correct........... correct.......
association and distribution are isolated from the basic rule book
the laws as agreed to by consensus unless a single exception can be
found and proven.

Excellent point. But you have some multiplication in there (that's what
the little 'x' symbol means) and when you mix multiplication and
addition, they are not associative in general. Here's a website that
discusses the associativity of addition:

http://www.learningwave.com/chapters...assoc_add.html

Ask your kid or grandkid or the neighbor's kid to explain it to you if
you are still having trouble understanding what the difference is.

Finally, as a rule, you should post and then drink heavily, not vice
versa.

--
Bill Asher