MATHEMATICS AS A

LANGUAGE
Mathematics in the Modern World
Wait! Before we talk about “MATH”

Lets PLAY A GAME!

 Ooopss…
…just a game
of what’s
next!!!
WHAT’S NEXT?

ANSWER
:
 WHAT’S NEXT?

ANSWER
: 12,345,654,321
 WHAT’S NEXT?
1 ANSWER
1
1=2 −1
:

3 2
7 3=2 −1 3
15 7=2 −1 4
31 15=2 −15
31=2 − 1
IS THIS THE
ONLY EXPLANATION?
WHAT’S NEXT?

ANSWER
:
WHAT’S THE
PATTERN IN
THE GIVEN
SET OF
EQUATIONS?
 LETS
BEGIN!
How did you learn
your native
language?
(Filipino/Chinese
English/Japanese
Korean…)
 MATHEMATICS AS LANGUAGE

A LANGUAGE is a systematic means of communicating

by the use of sound or conventional symbols. It is the code
we all use to express ourselves and communicate to
others.
Components of a language:
Vocabulary of symbols or words
Grammar or rules of how these symbols are used
Community of people who use and understand these
symbols
Range of meanings that can be communicated with
these symbols.
• ENGLISH LANGUAGE MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE
• Symbols: English Letters Symbols: English Letters/ Arabic
• Vowels and Consonants Numerals
Variables and Constants

• Words Term

• Phrases
Algebraic Expressions

• Sentences
Mathematical statements: Equations,
Inequalities, etc
 ELEMENTS OF THE
MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE
• The Language of Mathematics was designed so we can
write about:
1. Things like Numbers, Sets, Functions, etc.
2. What we Do with those things (add, subtract, multiply,
divide, join together, etc.)
 SYMBOLS

Mathematics uses symbols instead of words:

There are the 10 digits: 0, 1, 2, ... 9
There are symbols for operations: +, −, ×, /, ...
And symbols that "stand in" for values: x, y, ...
And many special symbols: π, =, <, ≤, ...
 LETTER CONVENTIONS

• Often (but not always) 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 (unknowns)

• Those are not rules, but they are often used that way.
Example:
y = ax + b
• People will assume that a and b are fixed values,
• And that x is the one that changes, which in turn
makes y change.
 NOUNS, VERBS, SENTENCES

• Even though we don't use the words "noun", "verb", or

"pronoun" in Mathematics, you can imagine these similarities
to English:
Nouns could be fixed things, such as numbers, or expressions
with numbers:
15 2(3-1/2) 42
The Verb could be the equals sign "=", or an inequality like <
or >
 NOUNS, VERBS, SENTENCES
Pronouns (things like it, he, you, etc.) could be variables
like x or y:
5x-7 xy2 -3/x

And they could be put together into a Sentence like this:

3x + 7 = 22