Conventions of

Mathematical Language
Elmer Poliquit
 Motivation

I don't know the rules of

grammar... If you're trying to
persuade people to do
something, or buy something, it
seems to me you should use their
language, the language they use
every day, the language in which
they think. We try to write in the
vernacular.
David Ogilvy

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 2
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 3
 Proposition or Statement
➢ any declarative sentence which is
either true (T) or false (F)

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 4
 Proposition or Statement
Example
"There is no planet called Mars." "60 = 1"
o is a proposition with truth value o is a proposition with truth value
T T
o is a proposition with truth value o is a proposition with truth value
F F
o is not a proposition o is not a proposition

Downtown Campus to
NOT A PROPOSITION
Talamban Campus
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 5
 State whether the following are statements. In the
case of a statement, indicate if it is true or false.
1. The sun is shining.
2. The sum of two prime numbers is even.
3. 3+4=8
4. Finish na!
5. x + y > 10
6. Is it raining?
7. Come to class!
8. n is a prime number.
9. The moon is made of green cheese.
10. You are a Carolinian.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 6
 Mathematics as a Language
Mathematics is…
• a system of communication about objects like
numbers, variables, sets, operations, functions and
equations
• a collection of symbols and their meaning shared by
a global community of people who have an interest in
the subject
• a language used and understood by individuals
across the universe
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 7
 Elements of the Mathematical Language
•has nouns, pronouns, verbs and sentences
•has own vocabulary, grammar, syntax, synonyms,
sentence structure, negations, paragraph
structure, conventions and abbreviations
•specially design so that one can write about
numbers, sets, functions, equations, etc. as well
as processes undergone by these elements

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 8
 Importance of Mathematical Language
The language and symbolisms of Mathematics is essential for it helps us
to:
• enhance our understanding of the expressed ideas
• communicate such ideas to others
• clearly illustrate certain mathematical ideas and concepts
• represent and measure the relationships between quantities
• critically think and improve our reasoning ability
• model countless real-life phenomena and predict occurrences in nature
• organize and present our research findings in figures, tables,
charts, graphs and symbols
• understand the world better and become successful in life

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 9
 Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
The language and symbols of mathematics can easily
express what mathematicians would like to express. Hence,
mathematics language is…
• precise – able to give very specific descriptions, free from
vagueness and ambiguities (definitions)
• concise – able to give very clear and brief description of
things (uses only few words and necessary information)
• powerful – able to simplify complex thoughts and able to
lead to important deductions
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 10
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
English language : Mathematical Language
Phrase: Mathematical Expression
In mathematics, expression is a finite group of algebraic terms and
mathematical symbols combined with no equal or inequality sign.
Phrase Mathematical Expressions
12
12 divided by a number m
𝑚
Product of 20 and a number x 20x
A number x decreased by 28 x - 28
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 11
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
Mathematical Expression
• correct arrangement of mathematical
symbols used to represent a mathematical
object of interest
• it doesn't make sense to ask its truth value
• common types: numbers, sets and
functions
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 12
 Translate each phrase in
Mathematical Expressions
1. Three times the square of a number x
2. One-third of a number y
3. One less than 33 times a number p
4. Three times the sum of two numbers
a and b
5. The square of the sum of two numbers s and t
6. The sum of the squares of two numbers n and m

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 13
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
KEY IDEAS
• expressions have lots of different names
• the name we use depends on what we are doing with the
expression, and what it is used for
• common types of problem solving with expressions: SIMPLIFY
• SIMPLER EXPRESSION MEANS
➢ fewer symbols
➢ fewer operations
3
➢ better suited for current use (3.25 units vs. 1 units)
4
➢ Preferred style or format (reduce form)

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 14
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
MATHEMATICAL SENTENCES
• a correct arrangement of mathematical symbols
that states a complete thought
• it makes sense to ask about its truth value
• contains verb (equal sign or inequality symbol)
• may contain a connective (operations, logical
connectives)
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 15
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
MATHEMATICAL SENTENCES Examples

• 6x2 + 3x - 2 = 0
• 10x - 12 = 25
• x + 3y < 5
• a – 2b ≥ 2a + 4b

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 16
 Expressions vs. Sentences
Mathematical Expressions Mathematical Sentences
5 + x can mean any of the following: Mathematical sentences may either
• the age of a child 5 years from now be TRUE, FALSE, Sometimes
True-Sometimes False
• five more than a number
Examples:
• a rectangular garden is 5 inches
longer than its width 1. x2 + 2x = x(x + 2)
• the height of a box is 5 longer than 2. x + 2 < x - 3
its length
3. 𝑦 3 > 𝑦
• the amount of money David has
after his father gave him Ᵽ5

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 17
Identify whether the mathematical sentences as
TRUE, FALSE or Sometimes T and Sometimes F

1) 2x < 5x
4 3
2) 𝑦 < 𝑦 + 𝑦
3) 2
𝑥 ≥𝑥
4) Everyone loves durian.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 18
Characteristic of the Language of Mathematics
The word sentence and statement mean
differently in the study of logic.
•The sentences are referring to mostly algebraic
sentences (equations or inequalities)
•The term statement (also known as proposition)
is a sentence containing logical operators and
connectives and whose truth value is either true
or false.

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 19
 The Grammar of Mathematics
•Formulas used in mathematics resulted from
using the grammar of mathematics.
•Formulas must be put to note that the notations
used in a mathematical formula does not
depend on a specific natural language but
following rules set by consortium of
mathematicians gathered from across the globe,
regardless of their mother language.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 20
 Parts of Speech in English and Mathematics
English Mathematics
Parts of Parts of
Some Examples Some Examples
Speech Speech
Nouns teacher, school, Concepts/ Angle, Graph,
church, parent, vs. Terms / Number, Function,
happiness, Ideas Polygons, Curve,
students Conics

Pronouns He, she, they, it, Notations x, y, z, { }, 5, f(x), ° , ,

his, them, we, ∈, ∑, ∞, 𝝅
our

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 21
 Parts of Speech in English and Mathematics
English Mathematics
Parts of Parts of
Some Examples Some Examples
Speech Speech
Verbs Sing, dance, Symbolic Plus, minus, divide,
jump, play, climb vs. verb / multiply, more than,
Mathemati less than, manipulate,
cal transform, model,
processes represent, draw,
sketch, solve
Infinitive is, was, were, is equal
verb: to

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 22
 Parts of Speech in English and Mathematics
English Mathematics
Parts of Parts of
Some Examples Some Examples
Speech Speech
Adjectives strong, kind, Mathemati Quadrilateral is a four-
honest, healthy vs. cal sided polygon.
Properties

Adverbs very, fast, Rotational counterclockwise,

extremely, Directions, clockwise, right, left,
angrily, calmly etc. center, backward

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 23
 Parts of Speech in English and Mathematics
English Mathematics
Parts of Parts of
Some Examples Some Examples
Speech Speech
Prepositions on, in, beside, Mathematical up, down, off, of,
under, over, vs. prepositions between, to, along,
through, with, of, over, though, inside,
off across, at, on, every, per

Conjunctions or, and, since, Conjunctions or, and, but, exclusive

while, because, or, not
but

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 24
 Parts of Speech in English and Mathematics
English Mathematics
Parts of Parts of
Some Examples Some Examples
Speech Speech
Interjections ahh, yeah, yahoo, Expressions yes!, got it, finally,
whoa, yohoo- of Eureka excellent, great, correct,
hoo, zing, opps you’re right,…

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 25
 The Grammar of Mathematics
Structural rules governing the use of symbols representing
mathematical objects
Example: Comparison:
Statement 1: Statement 1:
4 is the principal square root of The word “is” means equal.
16. Statement 2:
Statement 2: The word “is” denotes
4 is less than 6. inequality.
Statement 3: Statement 3:
4 is a composite number. The word “is” means
membership in a set.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 26
 Some Difficulties in the
Mathematical Language
•Different uses of a number: cardinal,
ordinal, nominal
•Mathematical objects maybe represented in
many ways such as sets and functions
•The words “AND” and “OR” mean differently
in Mathematics from its English use.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 27
 Symbols in Mathematics

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 28
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol
Symbol Meaning Example
Name
Parenthesis ( ) Perform operations inside first 2 + (3 – 4 × 6)
Plus – ± 4 ± 2 = 6 and 2
Perform both addition and subtraction
minus
mod the remainder after performing 12 mod 5 = 2
modulo
division
caret x^y exponent 2^3=8
radical n
x nth root of a number x 3
64 = 4
20  50
percent Divide the number by 100 20% ×50 = = 10
% 100
line ⎯→ Infinite line AB

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 29
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
Line segment _____ Subset of a line that has two AB
endpoints
Perpendicular ⊥ Lines that formed 90° angle m⊥n
parallel || Coplanar lines that do not m||n
intersect
congruent ≅ equivalent in shape & size ABC  XYZ
delta Δ Triangle, difference or ABC , x = x2 − x1 ,
discriminant  = b 2 − 4ac
sigma ∑ Add all values 4

a
i =1
i = a1 + a2 + a3 + a4

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 30
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
cross × Multiplication/vector product A B
set { } Collection of objects {2, 4, 6, 8, 10}
union ∪ objects that belong to set A or A  B = {2, 4}
set B
intersection ∩ objects that belong to both set A  B = {1, 3, 5}
A and set B
subset  A is a subset of B. Set A is {2, 4, 6}  {2, 4, 6}
included in set B.
Proper subset ⊂ A is a subset of B. Set A is not {2, 6}  {2, 4, 6}
equal to set B.
Element of ∈ Set membership A = {3, 5, 7}; 5 ∈ A
Not element of ∉ Non-membership of a set A = {3, 5, 7}; 2 ∉ A

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 31
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
cardinality |A| Number of elements in a set A = {2, 4, 6, 8}, |A| = 4
complement Ac All the objects that do not Let U be the set of
belong to set A natural numbers.
A = {2, 4, 6, 8, 10,…}
Ac = {1, 3, 5, 7,…}
Relative complement A\B Objects that belong to A but A = {3, 5, 7},
not to B B = {3, 5, 9},
A \ B = {7}
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
Universal set Set of all possible values
Empty set Ø or { } A set with no elements the set of counting
number less than 1
whole numbers 0 Set of natural numbers and 0 0 = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …}
Natural numbers Set of natural numbers = {1, 2, 3, 4,…}
integers Set of integers = {…,-3, -2, -1,
0, 1, 2, 3, 4,…}
Rational numbers = {x | x = a/b, a, b ∈ } ¾∈
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
Real numbers = {x | -∞ < x <∞}
Caret or circumflex ^ and A^B
reversed caret ∨ or A∨B
not ¬ negation ¬p
tilde ~ negation ~q
Implies ⇒ If p then q p⇒q
 Symbols in Mathematics
Symbol Name Symbol Meaning Example
double implication ⇔ p ⇔ q or
p↔ q
q if and only if p
↔
For all ∀ True to all cases x, x 2  0
There exist ∃ True to one or some cases x, x 2  1
variable x A quantity that varies Let x be a number
To convert some English sentences involving
mathematical ideas or concepts into its equivalent
symbolic form
Example. Translate each English Answers:
sentence into its symbolic form. 1) 15 mod 4 = 3
1. 3 is the remainder when 15 is
divided by 4.
2. The square root of the sum of 9
2) ( 9 + 16) = 5
and 16 is 5.
3. 50% of a number is 20. 3) 50% x = 20
4. 3 is an element of the set of
natural numbers. 4) 3 
5. There exists a pair of numbers, x
and y such that x2 + y2 = 4.
5) ( x, y ) , x + y = 4
2 2

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 36
Translate each mathematical sentence in
symbolic form
1. Six times a number x is fifty-four.
2. Two ninths of a number y is eleven.
3. Three more than seven times a number z is nine more than five times the
number.
4. Twice a number w less eight is equal to one more than three times the number.
5. When one is subtracted from three times a number p, the result is eight less
than six times the original number.
6. The set of natural numbers is a subset of the set of positive integers.
7. Line p is perpendicular to line r.
8. The union of C and D is the set of even numbers between 5 and 20.
9. Triangle ELM is congruent to triangle MRP.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 37
 Conventions in Mathematics
In Geometry for instance, by convention, CAPITAL LETTERS are used to
label vertices of a polygon or to name a dot.
1. Infinite lines are often named using small italic letters, such as a, b,
and c.
2. Line segments are sometimes named using upper-case letters that
denote the two endpoints.
3. Lines are assumed to be straight.
4. Angle measures are in degrees and assumed to be positive, at most
360.
5. Angles can be named using three letters (3 vertices), a number or a
small letter.
6. Figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 38
 Conventions in Mathematics
• PEMDAS rule.
• Always express fractions in simplest form.
• Weighted graphs are not necessarily drawn to scale.
• Distances in a coordinate system are non-negative.
• Use the name of the definition, postulate or theorem instead of writing its
content. For instance, when using the expression “2k + 1” to denote an odd
number.
• When constructing a Venn diagram, we represent universal set using a
rectangle and various sets of objects using circular regions including those
regions formed by intersection of circles.
• When naming an angle using three letters, the middle letter must be the
vertex.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 39
Some Difficulties in the Mathematical Language
1. Straight line – in advance algebra, considered a simple curve, which is an
opposition to the definition of line in natural language.
2. Line – in mathematics, a line is an infinite set of points that extends infinitely in
both direction. In natural language, line and line segment are the same.
3. OR – the conjunction OR in natural language means one or the other (exclusive
or). One must have a choice of either one and not both. In mathematics,
particularly in math logic, OR is inclusive by convention. A or B is true, or both is
the case.
4. Origin – in natural language this word could mean the point or place. In
mathematics, this refers to the intersection of the two coordinate axes (x and y).
5. Regular – in natural language this word means happening repeatedly or something
done very often. In mathematics, this refers to a figure that is both equiangular
and equilateral.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 40
Some Difficulties in the Mathematical Language
6. Factor – in natural language this word could mean something that influences a
result. In mathematics, this refers to the quantity by which another quantity is
multiplied or divided into.
7. Similar – in natural language this word can refer to things that have
characteristics in common. In mathematics, this refers to two objects (polygons)
that have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
8. Table – in natural language a table is a piece of furniture designed for a purpose
while in mathematics a table can refer to a systematic organization of data
typically in rows and columns for easy reference
9. Proper – in natural language, the adjective proper describes an act of behaving
in a way that is correct based on social or moral rules while in mathematics,
proper can refer to a fraction where the numerator is lesser than the
denominator
10. Mean – in natural language mean refers to having in mind as a purpose while in
mathematics mean is synonymous to the word average.
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 41
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Thanks to Prof. Teodora Punzalan for some notes.

Some images were retrieved from google.

9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 42
9/7/2020 ESPoliquit 43