SymbolsinAlgebra

Common Symbols Used in Algebra

Symbolssavetimeandspacewhenwriting.Herearethemostcommonalgebraicsymbols:
Symbol

Meaning

Example

add

3+7=10

subtract

52=3

multiply

43=12

multiply(so""doesnotlooklike"x")

43=12

divide

20/5=4

squareroot("radical")

4=2

cuberoot

nthroot

()

groupingsymbols(roundbrackets)

2(a3)

[]

groupingsymbols(squarebrackets)

2[a3(b+c)]

{}

setsymbols(curlybrackets)

{1,2,3}

equals

1+1=2

approximatelyequalto

3.14

notequalto

<

lessthan,lessthanorequalto

2<3

>

greaterthan,greaterthanorequalto

5>1

implies(if...then)
"ifandonlyif"oriffor"isequivalentto"

aandbareodd
x=y+1

a+biseven
y=x1

Therefore

a=b b=a

Factorial

4!=4321=24

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SetSymbols
A set isacollectionofthings,usuallynumbers.Wecanlisteachelement(or"member")ofa
setinsidecurlybracketslikethis:

Common Symbols Used in Set Theory

Symbolssavetimeandspacewhenwriting.Herearethemostcommonsetsymbols
IntheexamplesC={1,2,3,4}andD={3,4,5}
Symbol

Meaning

Example

{}

Set:acollectionofelements

{1,2,3,4}

AB

Union:inAorB(orboth)

CD={1,2,3,4,5}

AB

Intersection:inbothAandB

CD={3,4}

AB

Subset:Ahassome(orall)elementsofB

{3,4,5}D

AB

ProperSubset:AhassomeelementsofB

{3,5}D

AB

NotaSubset:AisnotasubsetofB

AB

Superset:AhassameelementsasB,ormore

{1,2,3}

AB

ProperSuperset:AhasB'selementsandmore

{1,2,3,4}

AB

NotaSuperset:AisnotasupersetofB

{1,2,6}{1,9}

Ac

Complement:elementsnotinA

Dc ={1,2,6,7}
When ={1,2,3,4,5,6,7}

AB

Difference:inAbutnotinB

{1,2,3,4}{3,4}={1,2}

aA

Elementof:aisinA

3{1,2,3,4}

bA

Notelementof:bisnotinA

6{1,2,3,4}

{1,6}

{1,2,3}
{1,2,3}

Emptyset={}

{1,2}{3,4}=

UniversalSet:setofallpossiblevalues
(intheareaofinterest)

P(A)

PowerSet:allsubsetsofA

P({1,2})={{},{1},{2},
{1,2}}

A=B

Equality:bothsetshavethesamemembers

{3,4,5}={3,4,5}

AB

CartesianProduct:setoforderedpairsfromA
andB

{1,2}{3,4}
={(1,3),(1,4),(2,3),(2,4)}

|A|

Cardinality:thenumberofelementsofsetA

|{3,4}|=2

Suchthat

{n|n>0}={1,2,3,...}

Suchthat

{n:n>0}={1,2,3,...}

ForAll

x>1,x2>x

ThereExists

x|x2>x

Therefore

a=bb=a

NaturalNumbers

{1,2,3,...}or{0,1,2,3,...}

Integers

{...,3,2,1,0,1,2,3,...}

RationalNumbers

AlgebraicNumbers

RealNumbers

ImaginaryNumbers

3i

ComplexNumbers

2+5i

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