Except that if the question is "What is 6!x7! " and the answer sought is 3628800, then the student can simply enter 6*5*4*3*2*7*6*5*4*3*2 and not do the calculation. Personally, this is not a problem because I do not do these types of math questions. For me, your workaround seems very useful.
But because there will be cases where this solution may not be suitable, we both agree that width parameters should perhaps be considered.