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Numbers and Mathematical Expression in English PDF
Numbers and Mathematical Expression in English PDF
UNIVERSITÄT HANNOVER
Papiere zu Fachsprachen
ENGLISCH
I
Dermot McElholm
1 USING NUMBERS 3
1.2 DECIMALS 5
2 MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS 8
1 USING NUMBERS
1.1 Numbers in English
Let us look at various aspects of expressing numbers in English, starting with
how to write the cardinal numbers.
• 3,456 (3 456)
• 123,456 (123 456)
• 123,456,789 (123 456 789)
Note that years are generally expressed in English not with the hundreds or
thousands but as two separate two-digit numbers:
♦ nineteen ninety-eight (1998)
♦ ten sixty-six (1066)
♦ nineteen oh one (1901)
Exceptions are:
⇒ two thousand (2000)
⇒ two thousand and ten (2010)
Time will tell if we will also abbreviate these years (to twenty forty etc.) in the
coming millennium.
We usually put cardinal numbers before other adjectives:
∗ the four green fields
✪ 95th = ninety-fifth
✪ 101st = one hundred and first
We usually put cardinal numbers before other adjectives, even before ordinal
numbers:
■ the first three American presidents
1.1.3 Fractions
Fractions are rational numbers that can be expressed as the ratios of two
integers a/b: a half/one half, one third, two thirds, three quarters. The ordinal
numbers are generally used, with the following exceptions: half, quarter. A
hyphen is generally used, apart from fractions with a, e.g. a half, a third;
fractions are can take the plural.
Fractions in algebra may be expressed as in the form:
1+ x
1− x
This is expressed in words as: one plus x over [or: divided by]one minus x
1.2 DECIMALS
The following is an example of a decimal fraction:
♦ 0.0345
Note the following:
a) we use a decimal point in English instead of a comma in German;
b) 0 is generally represented by:
− zero (more mathematical)
− nought (general technical)
− oh (everyday English)
c) we express each digit separately, so the number reads:
nought point nought three four five
OR
point nought three four five
The number above is given to four decimal places; it could be the number
0.0345267 given to (or rounded down to) four significant figures.
6 McElholm – Fachsprachenzentrum
1.4.1 Percentages
Percentages are generally expressed together with the preposition of and with
or without the definite article:
(5) It will be noted from the normal distribution table that approximately 68
percent of the area under the curve lies within the range z = -1 and z = +1 or
within +1 standard deviation from the mean...
(6) To determine P95, arrange the values in order of size and count off 95 per cent
of them. The value appearing nearest that point is the 95th percentile.
We use the definite article when we are saying something about a determined
or definite part of a whole, while we leave out the article when we are listing
the parts of a whole.
1.4.2 Units
Most units in English are treated as normal countable nouns that take a
singular and a plural:
• 10 m = ten metres
• 85,000 gal = eighty-five thousand gallons
• 35oC = thirty-five degrees Celsius
• 40 kg = forty kilograms (kilos)
• 85 lb = eight-five pounds
There are exceptions: one hundred bar.
However, when a unit is used to modify another noun, then it is written as
follows: a ten-degree rise in temperature. Here the expression ten-degree
modifies the noun rise; it is written in the singular and joined together with a
hyphen.
Note the following: m² = square metres, m³ = cubic metres, and units such
as:
➲ N/m2 = newtons per square metre
The Americans still use the old British units: gallons, feet, pounds –
abbreviated to gal, ft, lb. The following conversions apply:
a) 1 US gallon = 3.7854 litres (1 UK gallon = 4.546 litres);
b) 1 inch = 2.54 centimetres
c) 1 foot = 0.3048 m
d) 1 pound = 453.592 g
Note the American spelling of the following units: liter, meter, kilometer
(British -re → American -er).
8 McElholm – Fachsprachenzentrum
2 MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS
There is a wide variety of mathematical expressions in English. Here are some
of the most important.
A
sin α =
C
B
cosα =
C
A
tan α =
B
The law of Sines states:
This reads: sine alpha over A equals sine beta over B...
x1
∫ f ( x)dx
x0
is expressed as the integral from x zero to x one of f of x dx.
The following are some commonly used symbols in mathematics:
10 McElholm – Fachsprachenzentrum
Symbol Meaning
± Plus or minus
= Equals
≡ Is identical with
≅ Approximately equals
≠ Is not equal to
> Greater than
< Less than
≥ Greater than or equal to
≤ Less than or equal to
− Minus
÷ Sign of division
/ Divided by
× Times, by
⋅ Multiplied by
x2 x squared
x3 x cubed
xn x to the [power of] n
x [raised] to the nth
power
√ (the) square root (of)
→ Approaches, tends to
∝ Varies as
| | Absolute value
∞ Infinity
n! Factorial, n(n-1)(n-2)...1
∑ Sum of a series of
numbers
∴ Therefore
dx Differential of x
∆x Increment of x
∂u/∂x Partial derivative
∇ Nabla
Thus we express the following equation
a 2 + b2 = c2
Numbers and mathematics 11
A×B
EXERCISE
2. d ( e u ) = e u du
3. x + iy = r (cosθ + i sin θ ) = re iθ
4. a b = e b ln a
v( x)
d dv du
5. ∫
dx u ( x )
f (t )dt = f (v ) − f (u)
dx dx