MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS

Specific Objective

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

1. Understand what mathematical language is.

2. Name different characteristics of mathematics.
3. Compare and differentiate natural language into a mathematical language and expressions
into sentences.
4. Familiarize and name common symbols use in mathematical expressions and sentences.
5. Translate a sentence into a mathematical symbol.
 Did you know that mathematics is a language in itself? Since it
is a language also, mathematics is very essential in
communicating important ideas. But most mathematical
language is in a form of symbols.

let us take a look at this mathematical symbols:

𝑓(𝑥) = 𝐿
→ |𝑥 − 𝑎| <𝛿, |𝑓(𝑥) − 𝐿| < , 𝑥𝜖𝑅
Did you understand what these symbols are? This mathematical
sentence is a complex idea; yet, it is contained and tamed into a concise
statement.
It is very important that you must learn first on how to read and understand different symbols in
mathematics which used in mathematical language.

A. Characteristics of Mathematical Language

The language of mathematics makes it easy to express the
kinds of thoughts that mathematicians like to express. It is:
1. precise
2. concise
3. powerful

B. Vocabulary vs. Sentences

• Student must learn on how to use correctly the language of Mathematics, when
and where to use and figuring out the incorrect uses.
• Students must show the relationship or connections the mathematics language
with the natural language.
• Students must look backward or study the history of Mathematics in order to
understand more deeply why Mathematics is important in their daily lives.
 C. Comparison of Natural Language
into Mathematical Language
English Mathematics
Expressions
Name given to an Noun such as 2
object of interest. person, place and
things and 3–2
pronouns
Importance of Mathematical Language
3x
Example:
• Major contributor to overall comprehension a) Ernesto 3x + 2
b) Batangas City
• Vital for the development of Mathematics c) Book ax + by + c
proficiency d) He
Sentence
• Enables both the teacher and the students to
It has a complete Group of words
communicate mathematical knowledge with thought that express a 3+2=5
precision statement,
question or a+b=c
command.
ax + by + c = 0
Example:
a) Ernesto is a boy.
(x + y)2 = x2 + 2xy + y2
b) He lives in Batangas
City.
c) Allan loves to read
book.
d) Run!
e) Do you love me?
 D. Expressions versus Sentences
Ideas regarding sentences:

Ideas regarding sentences are explored. Just as English sentences have verbs, so do mathematical
sentences. In the mathematical sentence;
3+4=7
the verb is =. If you read the sentence as ‘three plus four is equal to seven, then it’s easy to hear
the verb. Indeed, the equal sign = is one of the most popular mathematical verb.
Example:

1. The capital of Philippines is Manila.

2. Rizal park is in Cebu.
3. 5+3=8
4. 5+3=9
Connectives
A question commonly encountered, when presenting the sentence example 1 + 2 = 3 is that;
If = is the verb, then what is + ?
Mathematical Sentence

Mathematical sentence is the analogue of an English sentence; it is a correct arrangement of

mathematical symbols that states a complete thought. It makes sense to as about the TRUTH of a
sentence: Is it true? Is it false? Is it sometimes true/sometimes false?

Truth of Sentences

Sentences can be true or false. The notion of “truth”

Conventions in Languages

Mathematics also has its convention, which help readers

distinguish between different types of mathematical expression.
 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.

E. Conventions in mathematics, some commonly used symbols, its meaning and an example
a) Sets and Logic
b) Basic Operations and Relational Symbols
c) Set of Numbers

F. Translating words into symbol

As problem solvers, our job is made simpler if we are able to translate verbal phrases to
mathematical expressions and if we follow step in solving applied problems. To help us
translate from words to symbols, we can use the Mathematics Dictionary
Examples: Let x be a number. Translate each phrase or sentence into a mathematical expression or
equation.
1.Twelve more than a number.
Ans.: 12+x
2.Eight minus a number.
Ans.: 8−x
Four Basic Concepts

Specific Objective
At the end of the lesson, the student should be able to:
1. Define what a set and its basic terminologies.
2. Differentiate two ways in describing sets.
3. Perform basic operations on set.
4. Define what a relation and a function is.
5. Translate relation and function into a diagram.
6. Name and apply the different properties of a relation and function.
7. Identify the domain and range in a relation and function.
8. Evaluate a function.
9. Define and perform a binary operation.
I. SETS AND SUBSETS
A. The Language of Sets

Use of the word “set” as a formal mathematical term was introduced in 1879 by
Georg Cantor. For most mathematical purposes we can think of a set intuitively,
as Cantor did, simply as a collection of elements.

Note: A set is denoted with braces or curly brackets { } and label or name the
set by a capital letter such as A, B, C,…etc.

1. A set of counting numbers from 1 to 5.

A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }
2. A set of English alphabet from a to d.
B = { a, b, c, d }

Element of a set
Each member of the set is called an element and the 𝛜 notation means that an
item belongs to a set.
A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }
1 𝛜 A, 2 𝛜 A
Terminologies of Sets
1. Unit Set
Unit set is a set that contains only one element.
Illustration:
A = { 1 }; B = { c }; C = { banana }

2. Empty set or Null set; ø

Empty or null set is a set that has no element.
Illustration:
A={ }
A set of seven yellow carabaos

3. Finite set
A finite set is a set that the elements in a given set is countable.
Illustration:
A. = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 }
B. = { a, b, c, d }
 4. Infinite set
An infinite set is a set that elements in a given set has no end or not countable.
Illustration:
A set of counting numbers
A = { …-2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, … }

5. Cardinal Number; n
Cardinal number are numbers that used to measure the number of
elements in a given set. It is just similar in counting the total number of element in a set.
Illustration:
A. = { 2, 4, 6, 8 } n = 4
B. = { a, c, e } n=3

6. Equal set
Two sets, say A and B, are said to be equal if and only if they have equal number of
cardinality and the element/s are identical. There is a 1:1 correspondence.
Illustration:
A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5} B = { 3, 5, 2, 4, 1}
7. Equivalent set
Two sets, say A and B, are said to be equivalent if and only if they have the exact number of element. There is a 1 : 1
correspondence.
Illustration:
A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 } B = { a, b, c, d, e }
8. Universal set
The universal set U is the set of all elements under discussion.
Illustration:
A set of an English alphabet
U = {a, b, c, d, …, z}
9. Joint Sets
Two sets, say A and B, are said to be joint sets if and only if they have common element/s.
A = { 1, 2, 3} B = { 2, 4, 6 }
Here, sets A and B are joint set since they have common element such as 2.
10. Disjoint Sets
Two sets, say A and B, are said to be disjoint if and only if they are mutually exclusive or if they don’t have common
element/s.
A = { 1, 2, 3} B = { 4, 6, 8 }
 B. Two ways of Describing a Set

1. Roster or Tabular Method

It is done by listing or tabulating the elements of the set.

2. Rule or Set-builder Method

It is done by stating or describing the common characteristics of the elements of the
set. We use the notation A = { x | x … }
Illustration:
a. A = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 }
A = {x | x is a counting number from 1 to 6}
A = { x | x 𝛜 N, x < 7}
b. B = { a, b, c, d, …, z }
B = {x | x 𝛜 English alphabet}
B = { x | x is an English alphabet}
 c. Subsets
A subset, A ⊆ B, means that every element of A is also an element of B.

If x ⊆ A, then x ⊆ B.

A={1, 2, 3, 4}
D. Ordered Pair
Given the element a and b, the symbol (a, b) denotes the ordered pair consisting of a and b.

Example: (a, b)=(3, 5) if a=3 and b=5

𝑦 = 3𝑥 + 2

(0, 2), (2, 8)

E. Operations on sets

1. Union of sets 4. Compliment of a sets

A={1, 2, 3}, B={2, 4, 6} U={1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}, A={2, 4, 6, 8}
(A U B)={1, 2, 3, 4, 6} 𝐴𝑐 = {1, 3, 5, 7}

2. Intersection of sets
5. Cartesian product
A={1, 2, 3}, B={2, 4, 6}
(A ∩ B)={2} Given sets A and B, the Cartesian product of A and
B, denoted by A x B and read as “A cross B”, is a set
A={1, 2, 3}, B={ 4, 6, 8} of ordered pair (a, b) where a is in A and b is in B
(A ∩ B)=ø A={1,2}, B={a, b)
(A x B) =[(1, a), (1, b), (2, a), (2, b)]
3. Difference of sets (B x A) =[(a, 1), (a, 2), (b, 1), (b, 2)]
A={1, 2, 3}, B={2, 4, 6}
(A - B)={1, 3} A={1,2,3}, B={a, b}
(B - A)={4, 6} (A x B) =[(1, a), (1, b), (2, a), (2, b), (3, a), (3, b)]
(B x A)= [(a, 1), (a, 2), (a,3), (b,1), (b,2), (b,3)
Venn Diagram

A Venn diagram is an illustration of the relationships between

and among sets, groups of objects that share something in
common.

A. Union of Sets B. Intersection of Sets

C. Difference of Sets D. Complement
II. FUNCTIONS AND RELATIONS
A. THE LANGUAGE OF RELATIONS AND FUNCTIONS

How are we going to relate the word relation in Mathematics?

let us have a simple illustration.
Let A = {1,2,3} and B = {2, 3, 4} and let us say that an element x in A is related to
an element y in B if and only if, x is less than y and let us use the notation x R y as
translated mathematical term for the sentence “x is related to y.

1 R 2 since 1 < 2
1 R 3 since 1 < 3
1 R 4 since 1 < 4
2 R 3 since 2 < 3
2 R 4 since 2 < 4
3 R 4 since 3 < 4.
What is a relation?
A relation from set X to Y is the set of ordered pairs of real numbers (x, y)
such that to each element x of the set X there corresponds at least one
element of the set Y.

Example:

1. Given a set of an ordered pairs:

{(0, -5), (1, -4), (2, -3), (3, -2), (4, -1), (5, 0)}

The domain are x = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

The co-domain are y = {-5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0}

2. Let A = {1,2} and B = {1,2,3} and define a relation R from A to B as follows:
Given any (x,y) 𝛜 A x B,
𝑥−𝑦
(x,y) 𝛜 R means that is an integer;
2

a. State explicitly which ordered pairs are in A x B and which are in R.

b. Is 1 R 3? Is 2 R 3? Is 2 R 2?
c. What are the domain and the co-domain of R?
A x B={(1,1),(1,2),(1,3),(2,1),(2,2),(2,3)}
1−1
(1,1) 𝛜 R 2 = 0, 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟
1−2 −1
(1,2) ∉ R = , 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟
2 2
1−3 −2
(1,3) 𝛜 R = = −1, 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟
2 2
Thus, R ={(1,1),(1,3),(2,2)}
Domain={1,2}
Co-domain={1,2,3}
ARROW DIAGRAM OF A RELATION

Suppose R is a relation from a set A to a set B. The arrow diagram for R is obtained as
follows:

1. Represent the elements of A as a points in one region and the elements of B as points
in another region.
2. For each x in A and y in B, draw an arrow from x to y, and only if, x is related to y by
R. Symbolically:

Draw an arrow from x to y

If and only if, x R y
If and only if, (x, y) 𝛜 R.
 Example:
1. Given a relation {(1, 2),(0, 1),(3, 4),(2, 1),(0, −2)}. Illustrate the given relation
into an arrow diagram.

0 -2

1 1

2 2

3 4

2. What is the domain and co-domain in example 1?

The domain are as follows: {0, 1, 2, 3}

The co-domain are as follows: {-2, 1, 2, 4}
3. Let A = {1,2,3} and B = {1,3,5} and define relations S and T from A to B as follows:
For all (x, y) 𝛜 A x B, (x,y) 𝛜 S means that x < y, i.e., S is a “less than” relation.
T = {(2,1), (2,5)}
Draw arrow diagrams for S and T.
Solution:

A x B = {(1,1), (1,3), (1,5), (2,1), (2,3), (2,5), (3,1), (3,3), (3,5)}.

It is given by x < y so S = {(1,3), (1,5), (2,3), (2,5), (3,5)}

1 1 1 1

2 2 3
3
3 5
3 5
PROPERTIES OF A RELATION

When a relation R is defined from a set A into the same set A, the three
properties are very useful such as reflexive, symmetric and the transitive.

A. Reflexive
A relation R on A is said to be reflexive if every element of A is
related to itself. In notation, a R a for all a 𝛜 A.

Examples of reflexive relations include:

- "is equal to" (equality)
- "is a subset of" (set inclusion)
- "is less than or equal to" and "is greater than or equal to" (inequality)
- "divides" (divisibility).
 When looking at an arrow diagram, a relation is reflexive if every element of A has an
arrow pointing to itself. For example, the relation in a given figure below is a reflexive relation.
B. Symmetric
A relation R on A is symmetric if given a R b then b R a.

The arrow diagram of a symmetric relation has the property that whenever
there is a directed arrow from a to b, there is also a directed arrow from b to a.
C. Transitive
A relation R on A is transitive if given a R b and b R c then a R c.

The arrow diagram of a transitive relation has the property that whenever there are
directed arrows from a to b and from b to c then there is also a directed arrow from a to c:
A relation that is reflexive, symmetric, and transitive is called an equivalence relation on A.

Examples of equivalence relations include:

- The equality ("=") relation between real numbers or sets.

- The relation "is similar to" on the set of all triangles.
- The relation "has the same birthday as" on the set of all
human beings

On the other hand, the relation " ⊆ " is not an equivalence relation on the set of
all subsets of a set A since this relation is not symmetric.
WHAT IS A FUNCTION?
A function is a relation in which every input is paired with exactly one output.

A function from set X to Y is the set of ordered pairs of real numbers (x, y) in which no two
distinct ordered pairs have the same first component. Similar to a relation, the values of x is
called the domain of the function and the set of all resulting value of y is called the range or
co-domain of the function.

A function F from a set A to a set B is a relation with domain and co-domain B that satisfies
the following two properties:
1. For every element x in A, there is an element y in B such
that (x,y) 𝛜 F.
2. For all elements x in A and y and z in B,
If (x,y) 𝛜 F and (x,z) 𝛜 F, then y = z

These two properties; (1) and (2) can be stated less formally as follows:
1. Every element of A is the first element of an ordered pair of F.
2. No two distinct ordered pairs in F have the same first element.
 • Is a function a relation? Focus on the x-coordinates, when given a relation.
• If the set of ordered pairs have different x-coordinates, it is a function.
• If the set of ordered pairs have same x-coordinates, it is NOT a function but
it could be said a relation.

Function Notations:

The symbol f(x) means function of x and it is read as “f of x.” Thus, the equation y = 2x + 1 could
be written in a form of f(x) = 2x + 1 meaning y = f(x). It can be stated that y is a function of x.
 Operations on Functions

a. The sum or difference of f and g, denoted by f ± g is the function defined by (f

± g)(x) = f(x) ± g(x).
b. The product of f and g, denoted by f · g is the function defined by (f·g)(x) =
f(x)·g(x).
c. The quotient of f and g denoted by f/g is the function defined by f(x)/g(x), where
g(x) is not equal to zero.
d. The composite function of f and g denoted by f ο g is the function defined by (f
ο g)(x) = f(g(x)). Similarly, the composite function of g by f, denoted by g ο f,
is the function defined by ( g ο f)(x) = g(f(x)).

𝑓 𝑥 = 2𝑥 𝑔 𝑥 = −2𝑥 + 3

𝑓 𝑔 𝑥 = 2 −2x + 3 = −4x + 6
𝑔 𝑓 𝑥 = −2 2x + 3 = −4x + 3