• 2x works the way it does because there’s a variable involved, and natural reading of that treats it as a single entity

    Just like 2(2+2) is also a single Term.

    no variables in the equation in the post, there are only definite numbers

    Pronumerals literally stand in for numerals, and work exactly the same way. There is nothing special about choosing a pronumeral to represent a numeral.

    8/2(2+2) is nothing more than 8/2×(2+2).

    They’re completely different actually. 2(2+2) is a single term in the denominator, (2+2) - which you separated from the 2 with an x - is a now 3rd term which is now in the numerator, having been separated from the 2 which is in the denominator.

    There is nothing special about 2(…, this is not the equivalent of 2x

    So what’s it equal to when x=2+2?