Mixed Fractions Confusion

Mixed fractions as learned in elementary school can be a cause for confusion in high school. The notation is inconsistent. With numbers, mixed fractions assume addition, as in:

In high school however, students learn algebra, and the same expression using letters instead of digits, suddenly has a different meaning. With letters, mixed fractions now assume multiplication, as in:

For a = 2, b = 3, and c = 4 the answer is now:

This is just one example of math learned at an early age, which later has to be adjusted a little to accommodate more general advanced concepts. Another example of this is documented in the comment at the end of

Solution a14889a – Radical Equation.