There is no ambiguity if you follow the order of operations. In the order of operations you do not always do multiplication before division. That is a misconception that comes from thinking that each letter of the six letter acronym equates to 1 step. It does not! There are only four steps. Multiplication and division have equal priority as do addition and subtraction. The straight order of operations represented by the acronym PEMDAS or BODMAS etc... are the current accepted standard for the solving of multi operation expressions. Particularly in regards to arithmetic operations, or expressions with purely numeric parenthesis where distribution is completely unnecessary for the resolving of the expression.