The distributive property is one of the rules and you can’t pretend is doesn’t exist. If it doesn’t apply in a case like this, why have it at all?
Gee, I don’t know. The speed limit doesn’t apply while I’m sitting on my couch. Doesn’t mean I think speed limits don’t exist.
Where in the order of operations does it say that you have to apply the distributive property before doing mult or div?
It doesn’t. You’re mixing apples and oranges.
The distributive property exists to help simplify algebraic expressions, not to do simple math.
Regardless, I’ve already shown how applying the distributive property properly (that is, distributing 48/2 to both addends) yields the proper answer.
You choose, for no reason, to assume that the “/” makes everything to its right part of its denominator, then you insist that only the “2” needs to be distributed.
That’s just flat wrong.
If I asked what “10/2 + 3” is, what would be your answer?