Math Language and symbols | Language of mathematics

Lesson: 4
Topic: Language of mathematics

Objectives:
At the end of the session, the students are expected to:
1. discuss the language, symbols, and conventions used in mathematics;
2. recognize that mathematics is a useful language.

Lesson Proper:
Figure 1: ENGLISH versus MATHEMATICS
(Baltazar, et al., 2018)

Regrettably, many people see mathematics only as a collection of arcane rules for
manipulating unusual symbols -something far removed from speech and writing. Probably this
results from the fact that most elementary mathematics courses - arithmetic in elementary school,
algebra and trigonometry in high school, and calculus in college - are procedural courses focusing on
techniques for working with numbers, symbols, and equations. Although this formal technique is
important, formulae are not ends in themselves but derive their real importance only as vehicles for
expression of deeper mathematical thoughts. More advanced courses - such as geometry, discrete
mathematics, and abstract algebra are concerned not just with manipulating symbols and solving
equations but with understanding the interrelationships among a whole host of sophisticated
concepts. The patterns and relationships among these concepts constitute the “true problems” of
mathematics. Just as procedural mathematics courses tend to focus on “plug and chug” with an
emphasis on symbolic manipulation, so conceptual mathematics courses focus on proof and
argument with an emphasis on correct, clear, and concise expression of ideas. This is difficult but
 Math Language and symbols | Language of mathematics

crucial leap for students to make in transitioning from rudimentary to advanced mathematical
thinking.
Characteristics of Mathematical Language
1.) Precise
Mathematical language is able to make very fine distinctions or definitions among a set of
mathematical symbols unlike in ordinary speech which is full of ambiguities, innuendoes,
hidden agendas, and unspoken cultural assumptions.
2.) Concise
Long expositions or sentences can be expressed briefly using the language of mathematics.
Mathematical language and symbols cut short the lengthy statements and help the expression
of ideas or things in the exact form. Mathematical language is free from verbosity and helps
into the point, clear and exact expression of facts.
3.) Symbolic
Mathematical language can describe a subset of the real world using only the symbols. The
use of symbols makes the mathematics language more elegant and precise than any other
language. For example, the commutative law of addition and multiplication in real number
system can be stated in the verbal form as: ‘the addition and multiplication of two real
numbers is independent of the order in which they are combined’.
4.) Powerful
Mathematical language is able to express complex thoughts with relative ease.
5.) Devoid of emotional content
There is absence of emotion from formal mathematical discourse.
6.) Nontemporal
There is no past, present, or future in mathematics – it is not affected by time.
Mathematics has its own language. There are many symbols in mathematics and most are used as a
precise form of shorthand. In order to understand the meaning, here are the two things that will guide
us:

1. Context - the particular topics being studied

2. Convention - where mathematicians and scientists have decided that particular symbols will have
particular meaning
Common Mathematical Symbols

1. + (plus, add, increase or positive)

As it stands, ‘+’ clearly has some sort of meaning, but we really need to understand it within a context.
So, for example, if we see the + symbol written in the sum 2+3, we understand that the context is
one of adding the two numbers, 2and 3, to give 5. So here, the symbol + is an instruction to add two
numbers together. Let us look at another context in which we see the + symbol. If you study
telephone numbers on business cards you will often see them given, for example, as +639 44 191
123 4567. In this context, the + symbol means that, in addition to the usual telephone number, a
person dialing that number from overseas will need to include the country code (in this case 44). So,
we see that the + symbol can have completely different meanings in different contexts, and it is
important to be clear about the context.
2. – (minus, subtract, take away, negative and decrease)
 Math Language and symbols | Language of mathematics

The − symbol written in 6 − 4 means 6 subtract 4, and we know the answer is 2. In a different
context, we might see −5◦C, meaning a temperature of minus five degrees Celsius, that is five
degrees below zero.

3. × (multiply, lots of, and times)

This is really just a shorthand for adding. For example, if we see 6+6+6+6+6 we have five
lots of six, or five sixes, and in our shorthand we can write this as 5 × 6. Suppose we have a + a + a
+ a + a. We might write this expression as 5 × a. However, in this context, especially in hand-written
work, we may confuse the × symbol with the letter x, and so we would often write simply 5a. We see
that our shorthand has become even shorter. Multiplication is one of those rare occasions when we
can omit a symbol altogether.

4. ÷, / , − (the division symbols)

Division is symbolized in several different ways. For example, 10 ÷ 5, 105, 10/5 are three
equivalent ways of writing ten divided by 5. We might also read this as ‘how many times will 5 go
into 10?’.

5. The = sign and its variants

Another symbol used frequently is the equals sign =. The = sign does not mean anything on
its own - we need a context. For example, in the sum 1+2= 3, what we are saying is that whatever
we have on the left-hand side is exactly equal to whatever we have on the right-hand side. Variations
on the equals sign are
≠ is not equal to
≈ approximately equal to
≥ is greater than or equal to
≤ is less than or equal to
Examples:
x ≥ 2 means x can equal 2, but it might also be any value larger than 2
y ≤ 7 means that y might equal 7 or might be any number less than 7

6. Variables
Another form of mathematical symbol. These are used when quantities take different values.
Imagine taking a car journey and think about the speed at which you are travelling. As you travel
along your speed may change. So, speed is a variable - that is, a quantity which can change. We will
be using letters to stand for quantities like this. For example, we might use the letter v for speed. To
a large extent we can use any letter we choose, although there are conventions. We might choose to
use d for distance and t for time. By convention, we use u to be an initial speed, and v to be a final
speed. In a different context, v might refer to volume. We need to check the context to fully
𝑑
understand the meaning. If we see v = where d = distance, and t = time, then we would know that
𝑡
4
v is a speed. On the other hand, if we see v = πr3 where r is the radius of a sphere, we know that v
3
stands for the volume of the sphere. Returning to our car journey. We might want to record the
journey time on several different days. In this context we might choose to use a subscript and write
t1, t2, t3, t4, t5 for the journey times on each of five different days. Alternatively, we could write tm,
tt, tw, th, tf for the journey times on Monday through to Friday. Note how we have used th for the
journey time on Thursday to avoid confusion with tt for the journey time on Tuesday. So, a subscript
is a small number, or other symbol, written to the bottom right of a variable to distinguish different
instances of that variable.
 Math Language and symbols | Language of mathematics

7. The Greek alphabet

You will find that Greek letters are used in many calculations. For example, the Greek letter
‘pi’, written π, is used to represent the number 3.14159.... This number continues forever without
repeating. We often use α (‘alpha’), β (‘beta’), and θ (‘theta’) to represent angles. The Greek capital
letter ‘sigma’ or Σ is frequently used to represent the addition of several numbers, and you will see it
provided for this purpose on the toolbar of any spreadsheet program.
For future reference the full alphabet is given below:
Figure 2: The Greek Alphabet

Other Mathematical Symbols

Almost all mathematical statements, relations, operations are expressed using mathematical
symbols. Here are some mathematical symbols that can be used:
Σ the sum of
∃ there exists
∀ for every (for any)
∈ element of (or member of)
∉ not an element of (or not a member of)
⊆ subset of
⇒ if …, then
⇔ if and only if
ℝ set of real numbers
ℕ set of natural numbers
ℤ set of integers
ℚ set of rational numbers
∞ infinity

Problems in physics like freely falling bodies, speed, and acceleration; quantities like the
chemical content of vegetables; the use of mathematical modeling in biological disease modelling;
and the formulas employed in the social sciences can all be expressed using mathematical sentences
or formulas. Mathematics describes abstract structures as well. There are areas of pure mathematics
which deal with abstract structures, which have no known physical counterparts at all. These are
studied in areas of mathematics like abstract algebra, linear algebra, topology, real analysis, and
complex analysis.
 Math Language and symbols | Language of mathematics

Mathematics, therefore, is the language of the sciences, business, economics, music,

architecture, arts, and even politics. There is an intimate connection between the language of
mathematics and the English language. The left brain hemisphere which is responsible for controlling
language is also the same part of the brain in charge of tasks involving mathematics. It is the left brain
hemisphere that coordinates logical or analytical thinking while the right brain hemisphere is
responsible for creative thinking.
References:
▪ Ethel Cecille Baltazar, C. R. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World. South Triangle,
Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.
▪ Jamison, R. E. (2000). Learning the Language of Mathematics. South Carolina, United States
of America.
▪ MathCentre. (2009). MathCentre. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.mash.dept.shef.ac.uk/Resources/web- mathlanguage.pdf

Adapted from the module created by Karen Mae H. Palabrica