Divided By..is this a preposition

What about this from the UsingEnglish site,,,,,it even defines this exact thing?
Complex Prepositions - Glossary Definition - UsingEnglish.com
or
complex preposition - definition and examples of complex prepositions in English

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Originally Posted by Raymott

The meaning of a string of words is a matter of semantics. Denoting something as a preposition is a question of syntax.
There is no rule that prevents two syntactically different phrases from having the same semantic value.
A beautiful woman = A woman of beauty. "beautiful" is an adjective; "of beauty" is a prepositional phrase, with a preposition and a noun.

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I do agree with this but not for the example I am using. For your example yes, the word woman is modified, by an adjective, and then a preposition. But you are changing the structure of the phrase to do so, showing the meanings are equal with different constructions. I on the other hand am not.

In the example i put forth, whether it is "12 over 4" or "12 divided by 4", one is basically swapping words. They are the same structure or syntac as you call it. It would make no sense if what you are saying is true in this context. This would be like saying "the fluffy cat" versus "the puffy-haired cat"....same mean and both adjectives, just one is compound

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Originally Posted by alkaspeltzar

Can someone clarify this? can someone tell me then why these sites like posted above are calling "divided by" a preposiition if others believe it isnt?

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I can't - but then I have never been a great fan of labelling. The more rigorous labelling systems attempt to become, the more arbitrary they seem to become at the edges. Granted that most labelling systems these days allow the phenomenom of 'multi-word prepositions', and granted that, in mathematical calculations, plus, minus, times, over, into are prepositions, then I see no real reason to be upset at the though of considering divided by and multiplied by to be prepositions.

It will come one day. I remember that when I was at school, anyone who considered in front of to be a preposition would have been burnt at the stake.

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Originally Posted by alkaspeltzar

Can someone clarify this? can someone tell me then why these sites like posted above are calling "divided by" a preposiition if others believe it isnt? Thanks

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Firstly, it's just one site. Anyone can publish anything on the internet, so the fact that something is there does not mean it is true. If no one else agrees, and you couldn't find anyone else who agreed, then it may well be inaccurate or incorrect. Also, there are many areas of language where there is disagreement. I would look at it as divided + by.