In mathematics, parentheses in a fraction can signify a few different things, depending on the context:
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Group Operations: Parentheses indicate which operations should be performed first when evaluating an expression. For example, in the fraction \(\frac{(2 + 3)}{5}\), you should first calculate \(2 + 3\) before dividing by \(5\).
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Numerical Grouping: Parentheses can also be used to group numbers or variables. For example, \(\frac{(x + 2)(x - 3)}{(x + 5)}\) indicates that you should consider the expression \(x + 2\) and \(x - 3\) as separate entities being multiplied in the numerator.
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Clarification: Sometimes parentheses are used to clarify which parts of the numerator or denominator are being referred to, especially in more complex expressions to avoid ambiguity.
Overall, the main purpose of using parentheses in a fraction is to clarify the order of operations or the grouping of terms.
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