Mathematical Language and

Symbols

Libeeth B. Guevarra
Department of Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Mathematical Language and Symbols 1

 What is a language?
a systematic means of communicating by the
use of sounds or conventional symbols
a system of words used in a particular discipline

Mathematical Language and Symbols 2

 Components of a language:
A vocabulary of symbols or words
A grammar consisting of rules of how these
symbols may be used
A ’syntax’ or propositional structure, which
places the symbols in linear structures.
A community of people who use and understand
these symbols
A range of meanings that can be communicated
with these symbols

Mathematical Language and Symbols 3

The vocabulary of mathematics
Mathematical notation has assimilated symbols.
(α, Φ, π, , σ, Σ, ℵ, C, R, Q, Q0 , Z, ∀, ∃, ∼, ', ≡, ∨, ∧, →
, ↔, ∪, ∩)

Mathematics has its own brand of technical

terminology.

(factor, exponent, polynomial, group, ring, field, nets,

weavings )

Mathematical Language and Symbols 4

 Mathematical statements have their own moderately
complex taxonomy.

(axioms, conjectures, theorems, lemmas, corollaries)

Mathematical Language and Symbols 5

The grammar of mathematics

The mathematical notation used for formulas has its

own grammar, not dependent on a specific natural
language, but shared internationally by
mathematicians regardless of their mother tongues.
dy
(sin x+acos 2x ≥ 0, f (x), )
dx

Mathematical Language and Symbols 6

The language community of
mathematics

Mathematics is used by mathematicians.

It is also used by students of mathematics.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 7

The meanings of mathematics

Used to communicate information about a wide

range of different subjects.
Describes abstract structures.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 8

 The general rules of mathematics as a language:
PRECISE - able to make very fine
distinctions (definitions)
CONCISE - able to say things briefly
(symbols)
POWERFUL - able to express complex
thoughts with relative ease.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 9

Logic Statement

A statement is a declarative sentence that

expresses thought and can either be true or
false, but not both true and false. It is also
called a proposition.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 10

 Example
1
Engr. Bernard Nicolas Villamor is the president
of CIT University.
2
Stop talking.
3
What are you thinking?
4
There will be an increase in your allowance.
5
5x ≤ 14
6
3x + 5y
Only 1, 4 and 5 are statements.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 11

 Simple statement bears a single idea.

Compound Statement bears two or more

ideas together.

Connectives: not ∼, and ∧, or ∨, if . . . then

→, and if and only if ↔.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 12

 Example
p: Ibarra is an Engineer.
q: Ibarra is a teacher.
r: Ibarra is not a singer.
s: Ibarra plays guitar
Write the following compound statements in symbols.
1 Ibarra is a singer. ∼ r
2 Ibarra is an Engineer or he is a teacher. p ∨ q
3 Ibarra is an Engineer and he is not a singer. p ∧ r
4 If Ibarra is a singer then he plays guitar. ∼ r → s
5 Ibarra plays guitar if and only if he is a singer. s ↔∼ r
Mathematical Language and Symbols 13
 Given the following simple statements.
a: Today is Sunday.
b: I will attend a holy mass.
c: I will go to work.
d: Tomorrow is Monday.
Write the following symbolic statement in words.
1 b ∨ c (I will attend a holy mass or will go to work.)
2 a ∧ b (Today is Sunday and I will attend a holy mass.)
3 a → d (If today is Sunday, then tomorrow is Monday.)
4 ∼ c ↔ b (I will not go to work if and only if I will attend a
holy mass.)
Mathematical Language and Symbols 14
Truth Table and Truth Value

A Truth Table is a table showing the truth value of a

statement.

The truth value of a simple statement is either true

or false, while the truth value of a compound
statement depend on the truth value of each simple
statement and the connectives.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 15

Negation

Negation is a statement expressing the idea that

something is not true. This is represented by the
symbol ∼.

Truth Table for ∼ p

p ∼p
T F
F T

Mathematical Language and Symbols 16

 Example
Negate each statement.
1
p: The optical disk drive is included in the price
of the computer.
( ∼ p: The optical disk drive is not included in
the price of the computer)
2
q: The blue whale is the largest living creature.
(∼ q: The blue whale is not the largest living
creature

Mathematical Language and Symbols 17

Conjunction
It expresses the idea of and.
The symbol ∧ to represent conjunction
p ∧ q is true if both p and q are true.

Truth Table for p ∧ q

p q p∧q
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F F

Mathematical Language and Symbols 18

 Example
Consider the following statements:
p: The tenant pays utilities.
q: A 5,000php deposit is required.

1 Write the statement ∼ p∧ ∼ q in English.

The tenant does not pay utilities and a 5,000php deposit
is not required.
2 Express the statement ”It is not true that: the tenant pays
utilities and a 5,000php deposit is required” symbolically.
∼ (p ∧ q)
3 Construct the truth table for q ∧ (p∧ ∼ q)

Mathematical Language and Symbols 19

 The truth table for q ∧ (p∧ ∼ q)

p q ∼ q p∧ ∼ q q ∧ (p∧ ∼ q)
T T F F F
T F T T F
F T F F F
F F T F F

1
What is the truth value of q ∧ (p∧ ∼ q) if p is
true and q is false? Answer: False
2
What is the truth value of p∧ ∼ q if p is true and
q is false? Answer: True

Mathematical Language and Symbols 20

Disjunction
It conveys the notion of or. We use the symbol ∨ to
represent disjunction. p ∨ q is true if p is true or q is
true.

Truth Table for p ∨ q

p q p∨q
T T T
T F T
F T T
F F F

Mathematical Language and Symbols 21

 Example
Consider the following statements:
p: Urban sprawl will increase.
q: Commuting will be more difficult.

1 Write the statement ∼ (p ∨ q) in English.

It is not true that: urban sprawl will increase or commuting
will be more difficult.
2 Express the statement symbolically: ”Urban sprawl will
not increase or commuting will be more difficult.”
∼p∨q
3 Construct the truth table (∼ p ∨ q) ∨ p.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 22

 The truth table for (∼ p ∨ q) ∨ p

p q ∼ p ∼ p ∨ q (∼ p ∨ q) ∨ p
T T F T T
T F F F T
F T T T T
F F T T T

Mathematical Language and Symbols 23

Tautology, Contradiction and
Contingency
A tautology is a compound statement that is always true.

(x − 2)2 = x 2 − 4x + 4

A contradiction is a compound statement that is always false.

sin2x − 3 = 0

A contingency is a statement that is neither a tautology nor a

contradiction.
x − 5 = 11

Mathematical Language and Symbols 24

 Example
1
Show that (∼ p ∨ q) ∨ p is a tautology.
2
Show that q ∧ (p∧ ∼ q) is a contradiction.
(refer to their truth tables in the previous slides)

Mathematical Language and Symbols 25

Conditional: p → q

A conditional expresses the notion of if . . . then.

p statement is the antecedent or hypothesis
q is the consequent or conclusion.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 26

 Miss Rich, the owner of a small factory, has a rush
order that must be filled by next Monday and she
approaches you with this generous offer:

If you work for me on Saturday, then i’ll give you a

7,000php bonus.

Examine the cases to determine exactly when Miss

Rich is telling the truth and when she is not.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 27

 If you work for me on Saturday,
then i’ll give you a 7,000php bonus.

1
You come to work and you receive the bonus.
2
You come to work and you don’t receive the
bonus.
3
You don’t come to work, but Miss Rich gives you
the bonus anyway.
4
You don’t come to work and you don’t receive
the bonus.
(Only in statement 2 we can say that Miss Rich is lying.)

Mathematical Language and Symbols 28

 Truth Table for Conditional p → q
p q p→q
T T T
T F F
F T T
F F T

Mathematical Language and Symbols 29

 Example
Construct a truth table for p ∧ (p → q).

p q p→q p ∧ (p → q)
T T T T
T F F F
F T T F
F F T F

Mathematical Language and Symbols 30

Equivalent Statements: A ⇔ B or
A≡B

Two compound statements A and B are equivalent

if they both have the same truth value for all possible
truth values of their simple statements.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 31

 Example
Show that the statements, p → q and ∼ p ∨ q are equivalent.

Truth Table for p → q and ∼ p ∨ q

p q p→q ∼ p ∼ p ∨ q
T T T F T
T F F F F
F T T T T
F F T T T

Note that columns p→q and ∼ p ∨ q are the same for all the
assigned truth values of p and q.

Mathematical Language and Symbols 32

Biconditional: p ↔ q
Biconditional statement: p ↔ q is p if and only if q.
p ↔ q ≡ (p → q) ∧ (q → p)

Truth Table for Biconditional p ↔ q

p q p↔q
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F T

Mathematical Language and Symbols 33

Illustration
The truth value of:
11 is prime or 7 is even is TRUE.
(T ∨ F is T)
If a triangle has 3 sides, then a square has 5 sides is
FALSE.
(T → F is F)
x = 9 if and only if 2x − 1 = 17 is TRUE.
(T →T and F → F is TRUE)
x = 5 if and only if x 2 = 25 is FALSE.
(let if x = −5 then x 2 = 25)

Mathematical Language and Symbols 34