1st Semester

A.Y. 2022-2023

MODULE 2
Mathematical Language and Symbol

October 02 15, 2022

MATH 101
Mathematics in the Modern World

Gracia T. Canlas
Instructor

Institute of Arts and Sciences

BEED 1A, BSBIO 1A,
BSA 2A, BSA 2D
BTVTED 1A

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 Module 2 – Mathematical Language and Symbols

Lesson 2.1 : The Language of Mathematics

Objective: At the end of this lesson, student should be able to:

1. understand the language, symbols and conventions in mathematics;
2. expound the nature of mathematics as a language; and
3. translate symbols to mathematical expressions.

Topic Outline”

a. The Language of Mathematics

b. Expressions vs. Sentences

Lesson Proper

“The Laws of nature are written in the language of Mathematics.” – Galileo Galilei
Can you tell why Galileo Galilei has said the above quote?

 What is a LANGUAGE?
LANGUAGE is a systematic way of communicating with other people by the use of sounds or
conventional symbol.
It is a system of words use in particular discipline.
It is also a system of abstract codes which represent antecedent events and concepts and
arranged in ordered sequence to form words, with rules for combining these words into
sequences or strings that express thoughts.

 Importance of LANGUAGE
To communicate ideas to others (to transmit information).
To understand the expressed ideas.
To acquire knowledge and information.
To construct social identity.
In Mathematics, its language was designed so you can write about things such as numbers,
sets, functions, etc. Perform operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division.

 Components of the Language of Mathematics

Some things associated with language are also associated with the Language of
Mathematics. These are the following:
Discreteness conveys that language consists of minimal units.
Grammar tells that language consists of rules and patterns to arrange units.
Productivity shows that language can create totally novel statement that could be
understood.
Displacement reveals that language can convey imaginary, distant, past, present, and future
statements.

 The Vocabulary of Mathematics

The language of mathematics uses symbols instead of words to communicate mathematical
ideas.
The symbolic language of mathematics is distinct, special-purpose language. It has its own
symbols and rules that are rather different from spoken language.
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 Some symbols commonly used in Mathematics are the following:
The ten digits : 0, 1, 2, …9
Symbols for operations and sets: +, −, ×, ÷, ∪, ∩, ∁, 𝑒𝑡𝑐.
Symbols that “stand in” for values of: x, y,…
Special symbols: 𝜋, =, <, >, ≤, ≥, ±, 𝑒𝑡𝑐.
Set Notations: R, N, Z, W, Q, etc.
Where:
R – Sets of Real Numbers: R= {Rational and Irraional Numbers}
N – Sets of Natural or Counting Numbers: N={1,2,3,4,5,…}
Z – Sets of Integers: Z = {…,-5,-4,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,4,5,…}
W – Sets of Whole Numbers: W={1,2,3,4,5,…}
Q – Sets of Rational Numbers: 𝑄 = {𝑁, 𝑍, 𝑊}
Letters are used in a mathematical statement and these letters have special uses:
Examples What They usually Mean
Start of the alphabet a, b, c, … Constants (fixed values)

From i to n: i, j, k, l, m ,n Positive integers (for counting)

End of the alphabet …x, y, z Variables (unknown values)

The word “is” in Mathematics could mean equality, inequality, or membership in a set.

“is” use as Mathematical Sentence Expression using Symbols

Equality (=) Ten is the square root of 100 √𝟏𝟎𝟎 = 10
Inequality (<, >, ≤, ≥) Ten is greater than 9 𝟏𝟎 > 𝟗
Membership (∈) Ten is an even number 𝟏𝟎 ∈ {𝟐𝒏, 𝒏 ∈ 𝑵}

 Mathematical Symbols

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 Expressions vs. Sentences

A sentence must contain a complete thought. In the English language a sentence must contain a subject
and a predicate.
Example:
a. One friend is not enough.
b. They still have a long way to go.
c. You can eat with us.

Similarly, a mathematical sentence must state a complete thought. An expression is a name given to a
mathematical object of interest.
Example:
a.) 1 + 2
b.) an ordered triple (a, b, c)
c.) a function f(x)

 Translating Phrases to Mathematical Expressions

In translating verbal phrases to mathematical expressions, that is using symbols, you need
to assign a variable to one unknown quantity and know the following words for each operations.

Operation Symbols Equivalent Phrases

+ added to, plus, increased by, more than
− subtracted from, minus, decreased by, less than
× multiplied by, times, product of, twice (2x), thrice (3x)
÷ divided by, ones, quotient of, ratio of

Examples

1. Three more than the number

You can use x as symbol for the unknown number, therefore the mathematical
expression is 𝒙 + 𝟑.
(take note of the phrase “more than”, in writing the expression in symbols, the
phrase after it always come first in the mathematical expression).
2. Twice the number less 2
Twice the number is 2x, less is subtraction (−), therefore the expression is 𝟐𝒙 – 𝟐
3.Square of thrice the number is thirty six.
Thrice a number is 3x and its square we use grouping symbols (3x)2, is was used
as an equality, therefore the expression is (𝟑𝒙)𝟐 = 𝟑𝟔
4. If n is the age of Nuel, how old is he five years ago?
For this age problem, take note of the phrase five years ago this means subtraction from
the age of Nuel, therefore Nuel’s age five years ago is 𝒏 − 𝟓.
5. How old is Nuel ten years from now?
Now with this problem the phrase ten years from now indicates addition, therefore Nuel’s
age ten years from now is 𝒏 + 𝟏𝟎.
6. The sum of two consecutive numbers is 100.
For this problem, you will use the following pattern for consecutive numbers:
𝒙 − 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓
𝒙 + 𝟏 − 𝟐𝒏𝒅 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓
𝒙 + 𝟐 − 𝟑𝒓𝒅 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒏.
Since you are ask to write the expression of the sum (+) of two consecutive numbers,
you may use the firs two patterns as, x for the 1st number and x +1 for the 2nd number,

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 adding the numbers you will have the expression 𝑥 + (𝑥 + 1) = 100, simplifying the
equation, therefore the expression is 𝟐𝒙 + 𝟏 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎
Take Note: For consecutive odd/even numbers you may use the following patterns:
𝒙 − 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓
𝒙 + 𝟐 − 𝟐𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓
𝒙 + 𝟒 − 𝟑𝒓𝒅 𝒐𝒅𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒐𝒏 …

Try This!
Verbal Phrase
1. a number increased by 9
2. square of a number
3. sum of the squares of two numbers
4. square of the sum of two numbers
5. seven more than a number is 27
Mathematical Expression
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________

 Activity
1. For lesson 2.1 and 2.2 answer quiz 2.1 through MS Teams. Link will be given in the Facebook
Group Class.
2. Write a reflective essay on the Mathematical Language and Symbols and Mathematical
Expressions.

Lesson 2.2 : Fundamentals of Logic

Objective: At the end of this lesson, student should be able to:
7. define and identify statements;
8. define the logical connectives;
9. write the negation of a statement; and
10. write statements symbolically
Overview: In this lesson you will learn about symbolic logic, which uses letters to represent
statements and special symbols to represent words like and, or, and not. His will allow
you to remove your personal bias from an argument so that you can analytically evaluate
the logic behind it.
Lesson Proper

Statements or Propositions
In the English language there are many types of sentences; a few of the types are:
 Factual Statements (You have to pass the bar exam to practice law.)
 Command (Get out of my face!)
 Opinions (Chocolate cake with cream cheese icing is the best dessert ever.)
 Questions (What’s up with you?)
 Exclamation (Holy cow!)
In the objective study of logic, you will use only factual statements because it is pretty hard to decide
if “Get out of my face” is true or false. And by “pretty hard” I mean ‘completely impossible’.
A statement or proposition is a declarative sentence that can be objectively determined to be either
true or false but not both. To represent statement or proposition , you use lower case letters p, q, r.

 Recognizing Statements or Propositions

Example 1 : Decide which of the following are statements/propositions and which are not.
a. Most scientists agree that global warming is a threat of the environment
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 b. Is that your laptop?
c. Man, that hurts!
d. 432 + 8 = √115,000
e. This book is about data management.
f. Watching reality shows turns your brain too much.
SOLUTION
Parts a, d, and e are statements because they can be judged as true or false in a
nonsubjective manner.
Part b is not a statement because it is a question.
Part c is not a statement because it is an exclamation.
Part f is not a statement because it requires an opinion (unless there’s a scientific
study you’re unaware of)
Try This One!
Decide which of the following are statements and which are not.
a. Those pants rock!
b. 12 − 8 = 5
c. Give me a bottle of anything and a glazed donut – to go.
d. Kat can send picture messages with her cellphone.
e. When does the party start?
f. History is interesting.

 Simple and Compound Statements

Statements can be classified as simple or compound.
A simple statement contains only one idea.
Here are some examples of simple statement.
a. Your jeans are torn.
b. My dorm room has a pile of dirty socks in it.
c. Daytona Beach is in Florida.
A compound statement is formed by joining two or more statements with a connective.
There are four (4) basic connectives used in logic:
Connective Logical Connective Symbols
and conjunction
or disjunction
if … then conditional
if and only if biconditional
Here are some examples of compound statements.

Compound Statement Logical Symbols

Connectives
a. John studied for 5 hours, and he got an A.
p: John studied for 5 hours. conjunction
q: He got an A.
b. I’m going to pass this class or I’m going to change my
major. disjunction
p: I’m going to pass this class.
q: I’m going to change my major.
c. If I get 80% of the questions on the LSAT right, then I
will get into law school. conditional
p: I get 80% on the LSAT right.
q: I will get into law school.
d. We will win the game if and only if we score more
points than the other team. biconditional
p: We will win the game.

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 q: we score more points that the other team.

 Classifying Statements as Simple or Compound

Example 2: Classify each statement as simple or compound. If it is compound, state the name of
the connective used.
a. Our school mascot is a moose.
b. If you register for WiFi service, you will get three days of free access.
c. Tomorrow is the last day to register for class.
d. In the interest of saving the planet, I plan to buy either a hybrid or a motorcycle.
SOLUTION
a. There are no connectives involved, so this is a simple statement.
b. This if …then statement is compound and uses a conditional connective.
c. This is a simple statement.
d. The statement could be restated as “I will buy a hybrid, or I will buy a motorcycle”, which
makes it a compound statement: specifically, a disjunction.

 Quantified Statements
Quantified statements involve terms such as all, each, every, no, none, some, here exists, and
at least one.
Universal Quantifiers either include or exclude every element of the universal set. These
includes all, each, every, no and none.
Existential Quantifiers claim the existence of something but don’t include the entire universal
set. These are some, there exists, at least one.
Note: The word each, every, and all mean the same thing, likewise, some, there exists,
and at least one are considered to be the same and are treated that way as well.
Here are some examples of quantified statements:
Universal Quantifiers
a. Every student taking philosophy will pass.
b. No nursing student is also majoring in criminal justice.
Existential Quantifiers
c. Some people who are Miami Hurricane fans are also Miami Dolphin fans.
d. There is at least one professor in this school who does not have brown eyes.
Note: The statements using existential quantifiers are not “all inclusive” (or all
exclusive) as the other two are.

 Negation
The negation of a statement or proposition is a corresponding statement with the
opposite truth value. This means that if a statement is true its negation is false, and if a
statement is false its negation is true.
The symbol ~ (tilde) represent a negation. The typical way of negating a statement is
by adding the word not as in these examples.

Statement or Proposition (p) Negation (not p) Symbols

Auburn will win Saturday. Auburn will not win Saturday. ~𝑝
I took a shower today. I did not take a shower today. ~𝑝
My car is clean. My car is not clean. ~𝑝

To make sure that you have a correct negation, check that if one of the statements is
true, the other must be false, and vice versa.

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  Negation and Quantified Statements

Statement Example Negation Examples

contains…
All do All of my meals are low in Some do not, Some of my meals are not low in
fat. or not all do fat.
Some do Some majors require 5 None do, or all There are no majors that require
years of study. do not 5 years of study.
Some do not Some people don’t go to All do Everyone goes to football games.
football games.
None do No airlines include checked Some do At least one airline allows a
bags for free. checked bag for free.

Example 3: Write the negation of each of the following quantified statements.

a. All smartphones have cameras. (True)
Negation: Some smart phones do not have cameras. (False)
b. No woman can win the lottery. (False)
Negation: At least one woman cannot win the lottery. (True)
c. Some professors have Ph.Ds. (True)
Negation: Some professors do not have Ph.Ds. (False)
d. Someone in this class will get a B. (True)
Negation: All in this class will not get a B. (False)

Lesson 2.2.A : Symbolic Notations and Truth Tables

Objective: At the end of this lesson, student should be able to:
1. write statements symbolically;
2. construct truth tables for negation, conjunction, disjunction, and conjunction, conditional
and biconditional.
Overview: In this lesson you will learn to write statements using connective symbols, which uses
letters to represent statements and special symbols to represent words like and, or, and
not. You will also study and learn to construct truth tables for each logical connectives.

Lesson Proper

 Symbolic Notations
The main goal in the study of formal logic is to be able to evaluate logical arguments
objectively. In order to do that, you will need to write statements in symbolic form. There are
symbols for the connectives and, or, if …then, and if and only if.
Symbols for Connectives
Name Connective Symbol
Conjunction and
Disjunction or
Conditional if … then
Biconditional if and only if

Simple statements in logic are usually denoted with lower case letters like p, q, and r. For
example, you could use p to represent the statement “”You get 95 on the final examination” and q
to represent the statement “You do every exercise in the class”. Now, rewrite these simple
statements using logical connective.
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 p: You get 95 on the final examination
q: You do every exercise in the class.
Name Statement Symbol
Conjunction You get 95 on the final examination and you do every exercises in
the class.
Disjunction You get 95 on your final examination or you do every exercise in
the class
Biconditional You get 95 on your final examination if and only if you do every
exercise in the class.

 Writing Statements Symbolically

Example 1
Let p represent the statement “It is cloudy” and q represent the statement “I will go to the beach.”
Write each statement in symbols.

Statement/Proposition Symbol
a. I will not go to the beach ~𝒒
b. It is cloudy, and I will go to the beach.
c. If it is cloudy, then I will not go to the beach. 𝒑 ~𝒒
d. I will go to the beach , if and only if it is not cloudy. 𝒒 ~𝒑

Example 2
Now try this one. Let p represent the statement “I will buy a Coke” and q represent the statement “I
will buy some popcorn”. Write each statement in symbols.

Statement/Proposition Symbol
a. I will buy a coke, and I will buy some popcorn.
b. I will not buy a coke.
c. If I a buy some popcorn, then I will buy a Coke.
d. I will not buy a Coke, and I will buy some popcorn.
Now, take note that in writing compound statements, it is not always necessary to repeat the subject
and verb using and or or. For example, the statement “It is cold” and “It is snowing” can be written “It
is cold and anowing.” Another example , the Statement “ I will go to the movie, or I will go to aplay can
be written “ I will go to a movie, or a play”.

Also, the words but and although can be use in place of and. For example, the statement “I will not
buy a television set, and I will buy a CD player” can also be written as “I will not buy a television set, but
I will buy a CD player.”

 Translating Statements from Symbols to Words

Example 3
Write each symbol in statement in words. Let p = “My dog is a golden retriever” and
q = “My dog is fuzzy.”

Symbol Statement
a. ~𝒑 a. My dog is not a golden retriever.

b. b. My dog is a golden retriever or my dog is fuzzy.

c. ~𝒑 → 𝒒 c.If my dog is not a golden retriever, then my dog is fuzzy.
d. 𝒒 ↔ 𝒑 d.My dog is fuzzy if and only if my dog is a golden retriever.

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 e. 𝒒 𝒑 e.My dog is fuzzy and my dog is a golden retriever.

 Truth Tables

The truth value of a statemnt or proposition is present ted in a truth table. A truth table
displays the relationships between the truth values of statements or propositions. Truth tables are
especially valuable in the determination of the truth values of propositions constructed from simpler
proposition.

DEFINITIONS
Let p and be propositions.
1. CONJUNCTION
The conjunction of the propositions p and q is the compound statement “p and q”
denoted as which is true only when both p and q are true, otherwise, is false.

Truth Table for Conjunction

𝒑 𝒒
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F F

2. DISJUNCTION
The disjunction of the propositions p and q is the compound statement “p or q” denoted as
which is false only when both p and q are false, otherwise, it is true.

Truth Table for Disjunction

𝒑 𝒒
T T T
T F T
F T T
F F F

3. NEGATION
The negation of the statement p is denoted by ~𝒑 (𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒑) where ~ is the symbol for “not”.
The truth vale of the negation is always the opposite of the truth value of the original statement.

Truth Table for Negation

𝒑 ~𝒑
T F
F T

4. IMPLICATION
The implication of the propositions p and q is the compound statement “if p, then q.”
denoted by 𝒑 → 𝒒 which is false only when p is true and q is false.

Truth Table for Implication

𝒑 𝒒 𝒑→𝒒
T T T
T F F
F T T
F F T

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 5. BICONDITIONAL
The bi-conditional of the propositions p and q is the compound statement “p if and only if
q.” denoted as 𝒑 ↔ 𝒒 which is true only when both p and q have the same truth value.

Truth Table for Biconditional

𝒑 𝒒 𝒑→𝒒
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F T

Example 4 Construct the truth table for each of the following statements.

a. ~𝒑 ~𝒒
Solution
𝒑 𝒒 ~𝒑 ~𝒒 ~𝒑 ~𝒒
T T F F F
T F F T T
F T T F T
F F T T T

b. (~𝒑 𝒒) (𝒑 ~𝒒)
Solution
𝒑 𝒒 ~𝒑 ~𝒒 (~𝒑 𝒒) (𝒑 ~𝒒) (~𝒑 𝒒) (𝒑 ~𝒒)
T T F F F F F
T F F T F T T
F T T F T F T
F F T T F F f

 Activity
1. For lesson 2.3 answer quiz 2.3 through MS Teams. Link will be given in the Facebook Group Class.
2. Write a reflective essay on the Fundamentals of Logic

REFERENCE:
Aufmann, Lockwood, Nation and Clegg. (2013). Mathematical Excursions, Third Edition.
Cengage Learning. Belmont, CA 94002-3098 USA.
Baltazar, E Ethel Cecille et. Al. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern World. C and E
Publishing, Inc. Quezon City, Philippines.
Sobecki, Dave. (2018). Math in Our World, Fourth Edition. Mc Graw Hill Education.
New York, New York 10121.
Stewart, Ian. (1995). Nature’s Numbers. BasicBooks, 10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 10022-5299

OFFICIAL MCC MODULE DISCLAIMER

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 It is not the intention of the author/s nor the publisher of this module to have monetary gain in using the
textual information, imageries, and other references used in its production. This module is only for the exclusive
use of a bona fide student of Mabalacat City College.

In addition, this module or no part of it thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, and/or otherwise, without the
prior permission of Mabalacat City College.

Prepared by:

GRACIA T. CANLAS, LPT, MAED

Instructor

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