CvSU Mission

CvSU Vision
The premier university in
historic Cavite recognized for
excellence in the development of
globally competitive and morally
upright individuals.
Republic of the Philippines Cavite State University shall provide excellent,
equitable and relevant educational opportunities in
CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY the arts, science and technology through quality
Cavite City Campus instruction and relevant research and development
activities.
Brgy. 8, Pulo II, Dalahican, Cavite City It shall produce professional, skilled and
morally upright individuals for global competitiveness.

CHAPTER 2
MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS
Objectives:
After the completion of the chapter, students should be able to:
 Discuss the language, symbols, and conventions of mathematics (K)
 Explain the nature of mathematics as a language (K)
 Perform operations on mathematical expressions correctly (S)
 Acknowledge that mathematics is a useful language (V)

“Mathematics cannot be learned without being understood,

it is not a matter of formulae being committed to memory
but of acquiring a capacity for systematic thought.”
- Peter Hilton

The language of mathematics makes it easy to express the kinds of thoughts that mathematicians like to
express. It is:
• precise (able to make very fine distinctions);
• concise (able to say things briefly);
• powerful (able to express complex thoughts with relative ease).

2.1 MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS AND SENTENCES

An expression is the mathematical analogue of an English noun; it is a correct arrangement of
mathematical symbols used to represent a mathematical object of interest.
An expression does not state a complete thought; it does not make sense to ask if an expression
is true or false.
The most common expression types are numbers, sets, and functions.
Numbers have lots of different names: for example,

55 2+32+3 102102 (6−2)+1(6−2)+1 1+1+1+1+11+1+1+1+1

the expressions all look different, but are all just different names for the same number.
This simple idea—that numbers have lots of different names—is extremely important in mathematics.

A mathematical sentence is the analogue of an English sentence; it is a correct arrangement of

mathematical symbols that states a complete thought.

Sentences have verbs.

In the mathematical sentence ‘3+4=73+4=7’ , the verb is ‘==’.

A sentence can be (always) true, (always) false, or sometimes true/sometimes false.

For example, the sentence ‘1+2=31+2=3’ is true.
The sentence ‘1+2=41+2=4’ is false.
The sentence ‘x=2x=2’ is sometimes true/sometimes false: it is true when xx is 22, and false otherwise.
The sentence ‘x+3=3+xx+3=3+x’ is (always) true, no matter what number is chosen for xx.

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EXERCISE 2.1.1 DATE: ________________
1. The number ‘three’ has lots of different names. Give names satisfying the following properties. There may
be more than one correct answer.
a) the ‘standard’ name
b) a name using a plus sign, +
c) a name using a minus sign, −
d) a name using a division sign, ÷
2. Repeat problem 1 with the following numbers: ‘two’, ‘six’, ‘zero’, and ‘one’.

3. Circle the verbs in the following sentences:

a) The capital of Massachusetts is Boston.
b) The capital of Massachusetts is Pittsfield.
c) 3 + 4 = 7
d) 3 + 4 = 8
4. TRUE or FALSE:
a) The capital of Massachusetts is Boston.
b) The capital of Massachusetts is Pittsfield.
c) 3 + 4 = 7
d) 3 + 4 = 8

EXERCISE 2.1.2 DATE: ________________

If possible, classify the entries in the list below as:
• an English noun, or a mathematical expression
• an English sentence, or a mathematical sentence
Try to fill in the blanks yourself before looking at the solutions. In each sentence (English or mathematical),
circle the verb.
1. cat
2. 2
3. The word ‘cat’ begins with
the letter ‘ k ’.
4. 1 + 2 = 4
5. 5 − 3
6. 5 − 3 = 2
7. The cat is black.
8. x
9. x = 1
10. x − 1 = 0
11. t + 3
12. t + 3 = 3 + t
13. This sentence is false.
14. x + 0 = x
15. 1 · x = x
16. Hat sat bat.

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2.2 THE LANGUAGE OF SETS
Georg Cantor (1879) – introduced the word “set”

WHAT IS A SET?

SET-ROSTER NOTATION

EXAMPLES:
a. Let A = {1,2,3}, B = {3, 1, 2}, and C = {1,1,2,3,3,3}. What are the elements of A, B, and C? How are A, B,
and C related?
b. Is {0} = 0?
c. How many elements are in the set {1, {1}}?
d. For each nonnegative integer n, let Un = {n, -n}. Find U1, U2, U0.

Symbol Set
R set of all real numbers
ℤ set of all integers
Ν set of all natural numbers
Q set of all rational numbers, or quotients of integers

SET-BUILDER NOTATION
Let S denote a set and let P(x) be a property that the elements of S may or may not satisfy. We may define
a new set to be the set of all elements x in S such that P(x) is true. We denote this set as follows:
{x ϵ S | P(x)}

EXAMPLES:
Describe each of the following sets:
a. {x ϵ R | -2<x<5} d. {x ϵ R | -5<x<1}

b. {x ϵ ℤ | -2<x<5} e. {x ϵ ℤ | -5<x<3}

c. {x ϵ ℤ+| -2<x<5} f. {x ϵ ℤ- | -2<x<5}

SUBSETS
A basic relation between sets is that of subset.
If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written A ⊆ B, if, and only if, every element of A is also an
element of B. Symbolically,
A⊆B means that For all elements of x, if x ∈ A then x ∈ B

PROPER SUBSETS
Let A and B be sets. A is a proper subset of B, if and only if, every element of B is in B but there is at least one
element of B that is not in A.n
EXAMPLES:
Let A = ℤ+, B = { 𝑛 ∈ 𝑍 | 10 ≤ 𝑛 ≤ 100}, and C = {100,200,300,400,500}. Evaluate the truth and falsity of each of the
following statements.
a. 𝐵 ⊆ 𝐴
b. C is a proper subset
c. C and B have at least one element in common
d. 𝐶 ⊆ 𝐵
e. 𝐶 ⊆ 𝐶

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EXERCISE 2.2.1 DATE: ____________
A. Write in words each of the following:

1. {𝑥 ∈ ℝ+ |0 < 𝑥 < 1} =

2. {𝑥 ∈ ℝ |𝑥 ≤ 0 𝑜𝑟 𝑥 ≥ 1} =

3. {𝑛 ∈ ℤ | 𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑜𝑓 6} =

4. {𝑥 ∈ ℤ+ |0 < 𝑥 < 1} =

B. Use the set-roster notation to indicate the elements in each of the following sets:

1. 𝑆 = {𝑛 ∈ ℤ |𝑛 = (−1)𝑘 , 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑘} =

2. 𝑇 = {𝑚 ∈ ℤ |𝑚 = 1 + (−1)𝑖 , 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑖} =

3. 𝑈 = {𝑟 ∈ ℤ | 2 ≤ 𝑟 ≤ −2} =

4. 𝑉 = {𝑠 ∈ ℤ |𝑠 > 2 𝑜𝑟 𝑠 < 3} =

5. 𝑊 = {𝑡 ∈ ℤ |1 < 𝑡 < −3} =

6. 𝑋 = {𝑢 ∈ ℤ |𝑢 ≤ 4 𝑜𝑟 𝑢 ≥ 1} =

2
C. Let 𝐴 = {2, {2}, (√2) } , 𝐵 = {2, {2}, {{2}}} 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐶 = {2}. Evaluate the truth and falsity of the following
statements

1. 𝐴 ⊆ 𝐵

2. 𝐵 ⊆ 𝐴

3. A is a proper subset of B

4. 𝐶 ⊆ 𝐵

5. C is a proper subset of A

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