MATHEMATICAL

LANGUAGE AND
SYMBOLS
THE LANGUAGE, SYMBOLS, SYNTAX, AND RULES OF MATHEMATICS
LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the student must be able to:

• Discuss the language, symbols, and conventions of mathematics;
• Explain the nature of mathematics as a language;
• Perform operations on mathematical expressions correctly, its basic concepts and logic;
and
• Appreciate that mathematics is a useful language.
LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS

• A hypothetical situation
- Imagine the following scenario: you’re in math class, and the instructor passes a piece of
paper to each student. It is announced that the paper contains Study Strategies for Students
of Mathematics; you are to read it and make comments. Upon glancing at the paper,
however, you observe that it is written in a foreign language that you do not understand!
• The importance of language
- Is the instructor being fair? Of course not. Indeed, the instructor is probably trying to
make a point. Although the ideas in the paragraph may be simple, there is no access to the
ideas without a knowledge of the language in which the ideas are expressed. This situation
has a very strong analogy in mathematics. People frequently 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.
• Characteristics of 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).The language of mathematics
can be learned, but requires the efforts needed to learn any foreign language. In this book, you
will get extensive practice with mathematical language ideas, to enhance your ability to correctly
read, write, speak, and understand mathematics.
• Vocabulary versus sentences
- 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
discussing 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).
• Why bother making this classification?
- The classification of mathematical ‘nouns’ versus ‘sentences’ does not typically appear in math
books. However, the author has learned that there is tremendous benefit to be derived from
this classification of the basic building blocks of mathematics.Without such an understanding,
people are more likely to fall prey to common syntax errors—for example, inappropriately
setting things equal to zero, or stringing things together with equal signs, as if ‘ = ’ means ‘I’m
going on to the next step.’ In the next few paragraphs, analogies between mathematics and
English are explored; examples are presented to study these analogies; and finally the ideas are
made more precise.The diagram on the opposite page summarizes the language ideas discussed
in this section.
• ENGLISH: nouns versus sentences
- In English, nouns are used to name things we want to talk about (like people, places, and
things); whereas sentences are used to state complete thoughts. A typical English
sentence has at least one noun, and at least one verb.
- For example, consider the sentence Carol loves mathematics. Here, ‘Carol’ and
‘mathematics’ are nouns; ‘loves’ is a verb.
• MATHEMATICS: expressions versus sentences
- The mathematical analogue of a ‘noun’ will be called an expression. Thus, an expression is
a name given to a mathematical object of interest. Whereas in English we need to talk about
people, places, and things, we’ll see that mathematics has much different ‘objects of interest’.
The mathematical analogue of a ‘sentence’ will also be called a sentence. A mathematical
sentence, just as an English sentence, must state a complete thought. The table below
summarizes the analogy.
• Numbers have lots of different names:
- Since people frequently need to work with numbers, these are the most common type of
mathematical expression. And, numbers have lots of different names. For example, the
expressions 5, 2 + 3, 10 ÷ 2, (6 − 2) + 1, 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 all look different, but are all just
different names for the same number.
• Synonyms; different names for the same object
- This simple idea—that numbers have lots of different names—is extremely important in
mathematics! English has the same concept: synonyms are words that have the same (or
nearly the same) meaning. However, this ‘same object, different name’ idea plays a much
more fundamental role in mathematics than in English.
• EXERCISES :
1. Give several synonyms for the English word ‘similarity’. (A Roget’s Thesaurus may be helpful.)
2. The number ‘three’ has lots of different names.
Give names satisfying the following properties.There may be more than one correct answer.
a) the ‘standard’ name
b) b) a name using a plus sign, +
c) c) a name using a minus sign, −
d) d) a name using a division sign, ÷ .
• Ideas regarding sentences: sentences have verbs
- Next, some 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 verbs.
• Truth of sentences
- Sentences can be true or false. The notion of truth (i.e., the property of being true or
false) is of fundamental importance in the mathematical language.
CONVENTIONS IN LANGUAGES

• Languages have conventions. In English, for example, it is conventional to capitalize proper

names (like ‘Carol’ and ‘Idaho’). This convention makes it easy for a reader to distinguish
between a common noun (like ‘carol’, a Christmas song) and a proper noun (like ‘Carol’).
Mathematics also has its conventions, which help readers distinguish between different
types of mathematical expressions.
EXERCISES

• 3. Circle the verbs in the following sentences:

a) The capital of Idaho is Boise.
b) The capital of Idaho is Pocatello.
c) 3 + 4 = 7 d) 3 + 4 = 8 4.
TRUE or FALSE:
a) The capital of Idaho is Boise.
b) b) The capital of Idaho is Pocatello.
c) c) 3 + 4 = 7
d) d) 3 + 4 = 8
e) 5. List several English conventions that are being illustrated in the sentence: ‘The capital of Idaho is Boise.
EXAMPLE SENTENCES VERSUS EXPRESSION

• If possible, classify the entries in the list below as:

• an English noun, or a mathematical expression
• an English sentence, or a mathematical sentence
In each sentence (English or mathematical), circle the verb.
1. cat
2. 2
3. The word ‘cat’ begins with the letter ‘ k ’.
4. 1+2=4
5. 5−3
6. 5 − 3 = 2

7. The cat is black.

8. x

9. x = 1

10. x − 1 = 0

11. t + 3

12. t + 3 = 3 + t

13. This sentence is false.

14. x + 0 = x

15. 1 · x = x

16. Hat sat bat.

SOLUTIONS:
SOLUTIONS:
SOLUTIONS:
SENTENCES STATE A COMPLETE THOUGHT;
EXPRESSIONS DON’T
• Note that sentences state a complete thought, but nouns and expressions do not. For
example, read aloud: ‘ 2 ’. What about 2 ? Now read aloud: ‘ 5 − 3 = 2 ’ . This states a
complete thought about the number ‘ 2 ’ .
TRUTH OF SENTENCES
DEFINITIONS IN MATHEMATICS
MATHEMATICAL SENTENCE
MATHEMATICAL SENTENCES HAVE VERBS AND
CONNECTIVES
CONNECTIVES

• A question commonly encountered, when presenting the sentence example ‘ 1 + 2 = 3 ’,

is the following: If ‘ = ’ is the verb, then what is the ‘ + ’ ? Here’s the answer. The symbol ‘
+ ’ is a connective; a connective is used to ‘connect’ objects of a given type to get a
‘compound’ object of the same type. Here, the numbers 1 and 2 are ‘connected’ to give
the new number 1 + 2 . A familiar English connective for nouns is the word ‘and’: ‘cat’ is a
noun, ‘dog’ is a noun, ‘cat and dog’ is a ‘compound’ noun.
EXERCISE:
SUMMARY:
MATHEMATICAL CONVENTION
• Mathematical convention is a fact, name, notation, or usage which generally agreed upon
by mathematicians. For instance, the fact that one evaluates multiplication before addition
in the expression (2+3) x 4 is merely conventional. There is nothing inherently significant
about the order of operations.
• Mathematicians abide by conventions in order to allow other mathematicians to
understand what they write without constantly having to redefine basic terms.
• The following symbols that are commonly used in the order of operations:
SYMBOL MEANING EXAMPLE

+ add 3+7=10

- subtract 5-2=3

x multiply 4x3=12

÷ divide 20÷ 𝟓 = 𝟒

/ divide 20/5=4

𝜋 pi 𝜋 = 3.14

∞ infinity ∞ is endless
 = Equals 1+1=2

≈ Approximately equal to 𝜋 ≈ 3.14

≠ Not equal to 𝜋 ≠2

<, ≤ Less than, less than or equal to 2<3

>, ≥ Greater than, greater than or 5>1

equal to
√ Square root (radical) 4=2

° Degrees 22°

∴ Therefore a=b∴b=a
PERFORM OPERATIONS ON MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS
CORRECTLY
• In simplifying mathematical expressions, the following order of operations is one critical
point to observe. Order of operations is the hierarchy of mathematical operations. It is
the set of rules that determines which operations should be done before or after others.
• Before, we have to used MDAS, that stands for multiplication, division, addition and
subtraction. It was changed to use PEMDAS which means Parentheses, exponents,
Multiplication and division and addition and subtraction. But now most scientific
calculator follow BODMAS, that is Brackets, Order, Division, and Multiplication, addition
and subtraction.
BODMAS EXPLANATIONS EXAMPLE PEMDAS
B Brackets These act as a sort of override for the rest of the order 2(3+4) = 2(7) = 14 Parent P
[] of operations. Work out everything inside the bracket Not 2 x 3 +4 = 10 heses
first. ()
O Order or Anything to the power of anything else goes next. This 2𝑥 2 = 2 ∙ 𝑥 ∙ 𝑥 Expon E
indices tends to help to make complicated expressions look a
𝑥𝑦
Not 2∙2∙x∙x ents
bit neater; if things were done in different order you’d 𝑥𝑦
need a lot more brackets!
DM Division These go AT THE SAME TIME. They are of equal 1÷2x3 MULTIPLI MD
and CATION
importance and should be applied from left to right. This 1
multiplicati = 2x3 AND
is because multiplication and division are inverse DIVISION
on 3 1
operations and essentially the same thing. Dividing by 2 =2 not (2 𝑥 3) = 1Τ6
is the same multiplying by 1Τ2 so they have to have the
same importance or changing the form of an equation
would changed the result and this is not how math
works.
AS Addition Like with division and multiplication, + and – have equal 3-2+1=(3-2)+1=2 Additi AS
and importance so should be than at the same time (left to
subtraction
Not on and
right). Again are inverse operations, adding -2 is the same =3-(2+1)=0 subtra
as subtracting +2.
ction
BODMAS/PEMDAS

• The order of operations or BODMAS and PEMDAS is merely a set of rules that
prioritize the sequence of operations starting from the most important to the least
important.
• Step 1. Do as much as you can to simplify everything inside the parentheses first
• Step 2. Simplify every exponential number in the numerical expression
• Step 3. Multiply and divide whichever comes first, from left to right
• Step 4. Add and Subtract whichever comes first, from left to right
EXAMPLES:

• 1. Evaluate: (11-5)x2-3+1
• Solution:
= 6x2-3+1 (remove the parenthesis)
= 12-3+1 (Multiply)
= 9+1 (Subtract)
= 10 (Add)
• 2. Evaluate 10 ÷ 2 + 12 ÷ 2 x 3
• Solution: Using the PEMDAS rule, we need to evaluate the division and multiplication
before subtraction and addition. It is recommended that you put in parentheses to
remind yourself the order of operation.
From the given, 10 ÷ 2 + 12 ÷ 2 x 3 = (10 ÷ 2) + (12 ÷ 2 x 3)
= 5 + 18
= 23
• 3. Simplify
4 – 3 [4 – 2 (6-3)]÷2
• Solution
= 4 – 3 [4 – 2 (6-3)]÷2
= 4 – 3 [4 – 2 (3)] ÷ 2
= 4 – 3 [4 – 6 ] ÷ 2
= 4 – 3 [-2]÷2
= 4 + 6 ÷2
= 4 + 3 = 7.
• 4. Simplify 16 – 3 (8 − 3)2 ÷ 5.
• Solution: Remember to simplify inside the parentheses before you square, because (8 − 3)2
is not the same as 82 − 32 .
= 16 – 3 (8 − 3)2 ÷ 5
= 16 – 3 (5)2 ÷ 5
= 16 – 3 (25) ÷ 5
= 16 – 15
=1.