Mathematical Language and Symbols

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 Mathematical Language and Symbols

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 Mathematical Language and Symbols
𝑛

෍ 𝑥𝑖 = 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 + ⋯ + 𝑥𝑛
𝑖=2

1 0 𝑎 𝑏
=
−1 2 𝑐 𝑑

𝑥 3 3𝑥 2
න 𝑥 2 + 3𝑥 + 4𝑑𝑥 = + + 4𝑥 + 𝐶
3 2

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 ENGLISH LANGUAGE

English language, as described by Nordquist (2018) is a

primary language of several countries like Australia,
Canada, New Zealand and United States among others and a
second language in a number of multilingual countries like
the Philippines.

This language serves as a common denominator

between different nationalities when they meet while
travelling, doing business or in other contexts.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 ENGLISH NOUN AND
ENGLISH SENTENCE

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICS
Analogous to the English language is a system used by mathematicians to
communicate mathematical ideas among themselves - Language of
Mathematics or simply Mathematical Language.
The language of mathematics includes
✓ words;
✓ technical terms;
✓ abstract codes; and
✓ grammatical conventions peculiar to mathematical discourse supplemented
by a highly specialized symbolic notation.

Mathematics is a universal language, the only one shared by all human beings regardless of
culture, religion or gender.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICS

Some symbols in Math are:

• Digits/Numbers: 0, 1, 2, ... , 9

• Operations on digits or sets: +, -, x, ÷, ∩, ∪, …

• Letters:
Letters Uses
a, b, c For constants (fixed values)
i, j, k, n Positive integers (for counting)
x , y, z For variables (unknown)

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICS

• Letters with special uses such as the following:

𝑒 – a mathematical constant that is the base of the

natural logarithm; the unique number whose natural
logarithm is equal to one. It is approximately equal to
2.71828,

𝑔 – acceleration due to gravity at the surface of Earth. It

has a standard value defined as 9.80665 m/s2.

• Greek letters: 𝛼, 𝛽, 𝛾, 𝛿, 𝜀

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICS

• Grouping symbols: { }, ( ), [ ]

• Equality and order relations: =, <, >, ≤, ≥

• Logic symbols: ∀, ∃, ∧, ∨, →, ↔

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 LANGUAGE OF
MATHEMATICS

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 CHARACTERISTICS OF
MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE

➢ Precise – able to make very fine distinctions

➢ Concise – able to say things briefly

➢ Powerful – able to express complex thoughts

with relative ease

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS
AND SENTENCES

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 EXERCISE
Determine whether the given information represents an
expression (English or mathematical) or a sentence (English or
mathematical).
1. Garden X
2. x = 1
3. S + 4 = 4 + S
4. This paragraph is false.
1 2
5. 𝑎 𝑏 =
𝑐 𝑑 −1 0
6. f(x) – f(y)
7. The product of 1 and x is x.
8. (0, 0) represents the origin in the xy-plane.
9. { }
10. −4 ∈ 𝑍

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 EXERCISE
State whether or not the following are mathematical statements. In the case of
a statement, indicate if it is true, false or sometimes true/sometimes false.

1.All even numbers are perfect squares. 9. Every decimal number is a rational
number.
2. 𝑦: 𝑦 ∈ ℤ 10. The summation σ50 𝑖=1 𝑖
3. A complex number is a real number. 11. 2 ⊂ Z
12. x ≤ 1 or x > 2 is equivalent to (-
4. If 2x – 5 = 9, then x = 7. ∞, 1] ∩ (2, ∞)
5. 10e5t 13. For f(x)= x + 5, f(2) = 7
6. The function F 14. x – 1 = 0
7. The cosine function is an even 15. x + 0 = x
function.
8. Either x is divisible by 2 or it is not.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 CONVENTIONS IN THE
MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE

Definition
A mathematical convention is a notation or usage which is
generally agreed upon by mathematicians.

Mathematicians abide by conventions in order to allow other mathematicians to understand

what they write without constantly having to redefine basic terms.

Nearly all mathematical names and symbols are conventional. The longer a name or notation
has been in use, the more likely it is to become a mathematical convention.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 CONVENTIONS IN THE
MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE

Some mathematical conventions in terms of numbers and quantities:

• Repeating decimals are sometimes written with a bar over the

digits that repeat.

• A prime number is an integer greater than 1 whose factors

are 1 and itself.

• Odd and even integers are not necessarily positive.

• The integer 0 is neither positive nor negative

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 FOUR BASIC CONCEPTS
OF MATHEMATICS

1. Sets

2. Relations

3. Functions

4. Binary Operations

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 SETS

Definition
A set is basically a mathematical expression which refers to
a well-defined collection of distinct objects.

Example: The set of integers.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 SETS

Definition (Name of a Set)

A set can be named using any capital letter of the English
alphabet, and in some cases, other letter like symbols or scripts.

ℕ = set of natural numbers

ℤ = set of integers
ℚ = set of rational numbers
ℝ = set of real numbers
ℂ = set of complex numbers

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 SETS

Definition (Membership in a Set)

If S is a set and x is an element or member of the set, then we
write x ∈ S. Otherwise, x ∉ S.

1
Example: 2 ∈ ℤ, 2
∉ℤ

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Definition
Let 𝐴 and 𝐵 be any two sets. The product 𝑨 × 𝑩 is the set of
ordered pairs (𝑥, 𝑦) such that 𝑥 ∈ 𝐴 and 𝑦 ∈ 𝐵. This product
is referred to as the Cartesian product of sets 𝐴 and 𝐵.
Remarks:
1. In the ordered pair (𝑥, 𝑦), 𝑥 is referred to as the first component and 𝑦 as the
second component.
2. A Cartesian product may be formed using a single set. That is, for any set 𝐴
𝐴 × 𝐴 = 𝑥, 𝑦 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 𝐴 }
This product may also be written as 𝐴2 .

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Example:
Let A = { a, b } and B = {1, 2, 3}.

Find:
1. A x A = { 𝑎, 𝑎 , 𝑎, 𝑏 , 𝑏, 𝑎 , 𝑏, 𝑏 }
2. B x B = { 1,1 , 1,2 , 1,3 , 2,1 , 2,2 , 2,3 , 3,1 , 3,2 , 3,3 }
3. A x B = { 𝑎, 1 , 𝑎, 2 , 𝑎, 3 , 𝑏, 1 , 𝑏, 2 , 𝑏, 3 }
4. B x A=?

Based from the above examples, what is 𝑛 𝐴 𝑥 𝐴 ?

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Remark: Cartesian products are not restricted to two sets. They can be extended
to a number of n sets, say A1, A2, … , An, forming an n-fold cross product A1 x A2 x
. . . x An whose elements are n-tuples of the form (a1, a2, . . ., an), ai ∈ A where i
= 1, 2, 3, …, n.

Let A = {0, 1}, can you enumerate all the ordered triples for A x A x A or A3 ?

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Definition
Let S be any set. A relation on S is a subset of S x S.

Given the Cartesian product S x S, different subsets can be formed. In each subset, one may
find that by merely looking at the first and second components of the ordered pairs
respectively, a particular kind of relation exists. This relation may come in any of the following
form: one-to-one relation, one-to-many relation or many-to-one relation.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 EXERCISE

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Definition
If R is a relation on the set S, that is, R⊆SxS, and (x,y)∈ R
then we say that “x is related to y” and denote this as
xRy. If the relation is represented by ~, we write,
“x ~ y”.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 TYPES OF RELATIONS

1. Reflexive: x ~ x
The relation R on the set S is reflexive if for all x ∈ S, (x, x) ∈ R.

2. Symmetric: If x ~ y then y ~ x.
The relation R on S is symmetric if for all x, y ∈ S, (x, y) ∈ R implies (y, x) ∈ R.

3. Transitive: If x ~ y and y ~ z, then x ~ z.

The relation R on the set S is transitive if for all x, y, z ∈ S, (x, y) ∈ R and (y, z)
∈ R, then (x, z) ∈ R.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Example:
Consider the set S = { 1, 2, 3 } and the following relations on S:

1. R = { (1, 1), (2, 2), (2, 3), (3, 3) } is reflexive.

2. R = { (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (1, 3), (3, 1) } is symmetric.
3. R = { (1, 1), (1, 2), (2, 1), (2, 2), (2, 3), (1, 3) } is transitive.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Remark: If a relation is reflexive, symmetric and transitive, then it is an

equivalence relation. An equivalence relation is often denoted by “”.

Is R = { (1, 1), (1, 3), (2, 2), (2, 1), (3, 1), (3, 3), (1, 2) } an equivalence relation
on the set A = {1, 2, 3}?

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World

 RELATIONS

Equivalence relations are also applicable to infinite sets of numbers.

Consider the set of integers ℤ = {… , −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, … } and the
relation ~ defined as follows:
𝑥~𝑦 means 𝑥 − 𝑦 is divisible by 5.

Math 01 – Mathematics in the Modern World