system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why is "implied multiplication" a thing ?

Why the equation "3a = 6" means "3 * a = 6"  and not, for example, "3 + a = 6".
gpt
In short, 3a implies the multiplication of 3*a because if you say it out loud as it is written, it best complies with the concept of multiplication.

Instead of using the variable, let's change it to 3(2). If you say that expression out loud, what does it sound like?

"I have three twos." 

If you have three twos, do you multiply or add them? You multiply them of course to get you six. If you say that you have three pairs of socks, that means you have six socks in total. If you say that you have 3 pairs of socks, it does not mean that you have five socks (3+2). It's the same principle with using a variable.

"I have three x's, and that total equals 6."

But saying the expression as so, it implies that 3 * a is equal to 6.

I suppose it would make more sense if the variables were written in the plural, such as 3a's = 6. Then it might be more obvious that you are multiplying 3 with a. However, the "'s" would clutter things up, so it is omitted.