Parentheses are overused
From Why start at x, y, z
Parentheses are used to represent all sorts of operations and objects, many of which conflict with each other.
Grouping parts of an expression: \( (x+1)(x+2) \)
Argument of a function: \(f(x)\) is "\(f\) applied to \(x\)". (There is no function application symbol)
Greatest common divisor: \((a,b) = \gcd(a,b)\)
Counting combinations: \( {n \choose k} = \frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!} \)
Repeated differentiation : \( f^{(n)}(x) = \frac{\mathrm{d}^nf}{\mathrm{d}x^n} \)
Vectors or one-column matrices or binomial coefficients: \( \begin{pmatrix} a \\ b \end{pmatrix} \)
Ideals: \((2)\) is the ideal generated by 2, \((a,b,c)\) is the ideal generated by \(\{a,b,c\}\).