EXPRESSION

VS.
SENTENCE
People sometimes have trouble understanding
mathematical ideas:
not necessarily because the ideas are difficult,
but because they are being presented in a foreign language
—the language of mathematics.
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)
Every language has its vocabulary (the words)
and its rules for combining these words into complete
thoughts (the sentences).
Mathematics is no exception.
As a first step in studying the mathematical language,
we will make a very broad classification between the ‘nouns’ of
mathematics (used to name mathematical objects of interest)
and the ‘sentences’ of mathematics (which state complete
mathematical thoughts).

DEFINITION expression 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, 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!

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

DEFINITION sentence 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.
EXAMPLES:
So, xx is to mathematics as  cat  is to English:
hence the title of the book,
        One Mathematical Cat, Please!
22 is an expression
1+11+1 is an expression
x+1x+1 is an expression
1+1=21+1=2 is a (true) sentence
1+1=31+1=3 is a (false) sentence
is a (sometimes true/sometimes false)
x+1=3x+1=3
sentence
Activity:
Direction: Write EXP if the statement is expression and
write SEN if the statement is sentence

1. x + 4
2. 250 + 50 = 300
3. x + 1
4. 5 x 5 = 25
5. x – 9
6. 1 + 2 =3
7. x + x
8. 66
Fill in the blank:
An 1. ___________ does 2. __________ state a
complete 3. __________
The most common expression types are 4.
__________, 5. __________, and 6. __________
7. __________ states a complete thought
Mendoza Nica C.
Garcia Rowina H.
Perez Marianne R.