Cornell mathematician Steven Strogatz, author most recently of "Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe," explains the latest mathematical Twitter upset in a New York Times op-ed.

"Mathematical Twitter is normally a quiet, well-ordered place, a refuge from the aggravations of the internet," writes Strogatz. "But on July 28, someone who must have been a troll off-duty decided to upset the stillness, and did so with a surefire provocation. It has to do with something that high school teachers call 'the order of operations.'"

Read the entire New York Times piece here.

And read a follow-up piece by Strogatz.