NATURE OF

MATHEMATICS
Mathematical Language and
Symbols
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this Chapter, you must be able to:
1. discuss the language, symbols, and conventions of mathematics;
2. explain the nature of mathematics as a language;
3. perform operations on mathematical expressions correctly, its
basic concepts and logic; and
4. appreciate that mathematics is a useful language.
 The Language, Symbols, Syntax and
Rules of Mathematics
• The language of mathematics is the system used by mathematicians to
communicate mathematical ideas among themselves. This language consists
of a substrate of some natural language (ex. English) using technical terms
and grammatical conventions that are peculiar to mathematical discourse,
supplemented by a highly specialized symbolic notation for mathematical
formulas.
• Mathematics as a language has symbols to express a formula or to represent
a constant. It has syntax to make the expression well-formed to make the
characters and symbols clear and valid that do not violate the rules.
• Mathematical symbols can designate numbers (constants), variables,
operations, functions, brackets, punctuation, and grouping to help determine
order of operations, and other aspects of logical syntax. A mathematical
concept is independent of the symbol chosen to represent it. In short,
convention dictates the meaning.
 The Language, Symbols, Syntax and
Rules of Mathematics
• The language of mathematics makes it easy to express the kinds of
symbols, syntax and rules that mathematicians like to do and
characterized by the following:
• a. precise (able to make very fine distinctions)
– Example: The use of mathematical symbol is the only done based on its meaning
and purpose. Like + means add, - means subtract, x multiply and ÷ means divide.

• b. concise (able to say things briefly)

– Example: The long English sentence can be shortened using mathematical
symbols. Eight plus two equals ten which means 8 + 2 = 10.

• c. powerful (able to express complex thoughts with relative ease)

– Example: The application of critical thinking and problem solving skill requires
the comprehension, analysis and reasoning to obtain the correct solution.
 Writing Mathematical Language as an
Expression or a Sentence
• In mathematics, an expression or mathematical expression is a
finite combination of symbols that is well-formed according to rules
that depend on the context.
• 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: 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.
This simple idea – that numbers have lots of different names – is
extremely important in mathematics.
 Writing Mathematical Language as an
Expression or a Sentence
• The basic syntax for entering mathematical formulas or
expressions in the system enables you to quickly enter expressions
using 2-D notation. The most common mistake is to forget
parentheses “( )”. For example, the expression: 1/(x+1) is different
from 1/x+1 which the system interprets as (1/x)+1.
• Examples: The use of expressions ranges from the simple:
– 8x-5 (linear polynomial); (quadratic polynomial); (rational function
– To the complex:
• For example, in the usual notation of arithmetic, the expression
1+23 is well-formed, but the following expression is not: x4) x+,/y.
 Writing Mathematical Language as an
Expression or a Sentence
• On the other, 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 ‘3+4=7’, the verb is ‘=’.
• A sentence can be (always) true, (always) false, or sometimes
true/sometimes false. For example, the sentence ‘1+2=3’ is true. The
sentence ‘1+2=4’ is false.
• The sentence ‘x=2’ is sometimes true/sometimes false: it is true
when x is 2, and false otherwise. The sentence ‘x+3=3+x’ is (always)
true, no matter what number is chosen for x.
 Mathematical Convention
• A mathematical convention is a fact, name, notation, or usage
which is 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 understand what they write without
constantly having to redefine basic terms.
 Mathematical Convention
• The following symbols are commonly used in the order of operations:
Symbol Meaning Example
+ Add 3 + 7 = 10

- Subtract 5–2=3

Multiply 4 x 3 = 12

÷ Divide 20 ÷ 5 = 4

/ Divide 20 / 5 = 4

Pi

Infinity is endless

= Equals 1+1=2

Approximately equal to

Not equal to

Less than, less than or equal to 2 3

Greater than, greater than or equal to 5 3

Square root (“radical”)

Degrees

Therefore
 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 used to have the MDAS
(Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction) and it was
changed to PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponent, Multiplication, Division,
Addition, and Subtraction). But now, most scientific calculators
follow BODMAS (Brackets, Order, Division and Multiplication,
Addition and Subtraction).
  Perform Operations on Mathematical
Expressions Correctly
• The order of operations or • Examples:
BODMAS/PEMDAS is merely a – 1. Evaluate: (11 – 5) x 2 – 3 + 1
set of rules that prioritize the
Solution: Use PEMDAS Rule
sequence of operations starting
from the most important to the – 2. Evaluate: 10 ÷ 2 + 12 ÷ 2 x 3
least important. Solution: Use PEMDAS Rule.
– Step 1: Do as much as you can to – 3. Simplify: 4 – 3[4 – 2 (6 – 3)] ÷ 2
simplify everything inside the Solution: Use BODMAS Rule
parenthesis first – 4. Simplify: 16 – 3( ÷ 5
– Step 2: Simplify every exponential Solution: Use PEMDAS Rule
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
  Perform Operations on Mathematical
Expressions Correctly
• Examples:
1. Evaluate: (11 – 5) x 2 – 3 + 1 2. Evaluate: 10 ÷ 2 + 12 ÷ 2 x 3
  Perform Operations on Mathematical
Expressions Correctly
• Examples:
3. Simplify: 4 – 3[4 – 2 (6 – 3)] ÷ 2 4. Simplify: 16 – 3( ÷ 5
  The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
• 1. Set. A set is a collection of well-defined objects that contains no
duplicates. The objects in the set are called the elements of the set.
To describe a set, we use braces { }, and use capital letters to
represent it.
• The ff. are examples of sets:
– 1. The books in the shelves in a library
– 2. The bank accounts in a bank.
– 3. The set of natural numbers N = {1,2,3,…}.
– 4. The integer numbers Z = {…,-3,-2,-1, 0,1,2,3,…}.
– 5. The rational numbers is the set of quotients of integers
Q = {p/q : p, q Z and q=0}.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
• The three dots in enumerating the elements of the set are called
ellipsis and indicate a continuing pattern.
• A finite set contains elements that can be counted and terminates at
certain natural number, otherwise, it is infinite set.
– Examples: – is the set of all even natural numbers less than or equal to 10. The
order in which the elements are listed is not relevant: i.e., the set {2,4,6,8,10} is
the same as the set {8,4,2,10,6}.

• There is exactly one set, the empty set, or null set, or { }, which has
no members at all. A set with only one member is called a
singleton or a singleton set (“singleton of a”).
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
A. Specification of Sets
• There are three main ways to specify a set:
• 1) List Notation/Roster Method – by listing all its members
– list names of elements of a set, separate them by commas and enclose them in
braces:
– Examples: 1. {1, 12, 45},
2. {George Washington, Bill Clinton},
3. {a, b, d, m}
4. “Three-dot abbreviation”: {1,2,…,100}
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
• 2) Predicate Notation/Rule Method/Set Builder Notation – by stating
a property of its elements. It has a property that the members of the
set share (a condition or a predicate which holds for members of this
set).
– Examples: 1. {x/x is a natural number and x < 8} means “the set of all x such that
x is a natural number and is less than 8
2. {x/x is a letter of Russian alphabet}
3. {y/y is a student of UMass and y is older than 25}

• 3) Recursive Rules– by defining a set of rules which generates or

defines its members.
– Examples: 1. the set E of even numbers greater than 3:
a)
b) {f , then
c) nothing else belongs to E. les).
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
B. Equal Sets– two sets are equal if they contain exactly the same
elements.
– Examples:
1. {3, 8, 9} = {9, 8, 3}
2. {6, 7, 7, 7, 7} = {6, 7}
3. {1, 3, 5, 7} {3, 5}

C. Equivalent Sets
• Two sets are equivalent if they contain
• Example:
– 1) Which of the following sets are equivalent?
– {Ө, €, £}, {∞, , ∩}, {1, 4, 3}, {a, b, c}, { ♠, ♥, ♦}
– Solution: All of the given sets are equivalent. Note that no two of them are equal,
but they all have the same number of elements.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
D. Universal Set
• A set that contains all the elements considered in a particular
situation and denoted by U.
• Example: The universal set
– a) Suppose we list the digits only.
– Then U = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, since U includes all the digits.
– b) Suppose we consider the whole numbers.
– Then U = {0, 1, 2, 3 …} since U contains all whole numbers.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
E. Subsets
• A set A is called a subset of Set B if every element of A is also an
element of B. “A is a subset of B is written as A B.
• Example: Subsets
– 1) A = {7, 9} is a subset of B = {6, 9, 7}
– 2) D = {10, 8, 6} is a subset of G = {10, 8, 6}
• A proper subset is a subset that is not equal to the original set,
otherwise improper subset.
– Example:
– Given { 3, 5, 7} then the proper subsets are { }, {5, 7}, {3, 5}, {3, 7}.
– The improper subset is {3, 5, 7}.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
F. Cardinality of the Set
• It is the number of distinct elements belonging to a finite set.
• It is also called the cardinal number of the set A denoted by n(A) or
card (A) and |A|.

G. Power Set
• It is the family of all the subsets of A denoted by Power (A).
• Given set A = {x, y}, the Power (A) = {Ø}, {x}, {y}, {x, y} or {x | x is a
subset of A.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
H. Operation on Sets
1) Union is an operation for sets A and B in which a set is formed
that consists of all the elements included in A or B or both denoted
by ∪ as A ∪ B.
a) Examples: Given U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9}, A = {1, 3, 5, 7}, B = {2, 4, 6, 8} and
C = {1, 2}, find the following: 1. A ∪ B, 2. A ∪ C, 3. (A ∪ B) ∪ {8}
b) Solution: A ∪ B = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
A ∪ C = {1, 2, 3, 5, 7}
(A ∪ B) ∪ {8} = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 1. SET
H. Operation on Sets
2) Intersection is the set containing all elements common to both A
and B, denoted by ∩.
a) Example: Given U = {a, b, c, d, e}, A = {c, d, e}, B = {a, c, e}, C = {a} and D = {e},
find the following intersection of sets: 1. B ∩ C, 2. A ∩ C, 3. (A ∩ B) ∩ D
b) Solutions: B ∩ C = {a}
A ∩ C = {Ø}
A ∩ B = {c, e}; (A ∩ B) ∩ D = {e}

3) Complementation is an operation on a set that must be performed

in reference to a universal set, denoted by A’.
c) Example: Given U = {a, b, c, d, e}, A = {c, d, e}, find A’.
d) Solution: A’ = {a, b}
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 2. RELATION
• 2. Relation
– A relation is a rule that pairs each
element in one set, called the domain,
with one or more elements from a second
set called the range. It creates a set of Regular Holidays in the Month and
ordered pairs. Philippines Date
1. New Year’s Day January 1
– Example: 1) Given
– A clearer way to express a relation is to 2. Labor Day May 1
form a set of ordered pairs; (New Year’s
Day, January 1), (Labor Day, May 1), 3. Independence Day June 12
(Independence Day, June 12), (Bonifacio
Day, November 30), (Rizal Day, December 4. Bonifacio Day November 30
30). This set describes a Relation.
5. Rizal Day December 30
– 2) { {2, 3}, {4, 5} } is not a relation but just a
set of ordered pairs.
– 3) {(1, 4), (2, 5), (3, 6)} is a relation. The
domain of the relation is the set {1, 2, 3}
and the range {4, 5, 6}.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 3. FUNCTION
• 3. Function
– is the rule that pairs each element in one set, called the domain , with exactly
one element from a second set, called the range. This means that for each first
coordinate, there is exactly one second coordinate or for every first element of
x, there corresponds a unique second element y.
– Remember: A one-to-one correspondence and many-to-one correspondence
are called Functions while one-to-many correspondence is not.

• Examples: The function can be represented using the following:

– 1) Table
– The perimeter of a square is four times the length of its side.
Side (S) 1 3 5 7 9
Perimeter (P) 4 12 20 28 36
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 3. FUNCTION
• Examples: The function can be represented using the following:
– 2) Ordered Pairs
– {(1, 4), (3, 12), (5, 20), (7, 28), (9, 36)}
– 3) Mapping. (Figure A is a function).

Figure A. Figure B.
– 4) Graphing. Using vertical line test, that is a set of points in the plane is the set of
points in the plane is the graph of a function if and only if no vertical line intersects
the graph in more than one point. Above in Figure B is not a function.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 4. BINARY FUNCTION
• 4. Binary Function
– A binary operation on a set is calculation involving two elements of the set to produce
another element of the set.
– A new math (binary) operation, using the symbol *, is defined to be a * b = 3a + b, where a
and b are real numbers.
– Examples:
– 1. What is 4 * 3?
Solution: 4 * 3 = (3)(4) + 3 = 12 + 3 = 15
– 2. Is a * b commutative?
Solution: Verify if a * b = b * a
3a + b = 3b + a? Not true for all real numbers
If a=4 and b=2, then 3(4) + 2 = 3(2) +4 is not true.
Therefore: the operation * is not commutative for all real numbers.
– 3. Is a*b*c associative?
– Solution: Verify if a*(b*c)=(a*b)*c
a*(3b+c)=(3a+b)*c
3a + (3b+c) = 3(3a+b) +c
If a=2, b=3, c=4; 3*2 +(3*3 +4) 3(3*2 +3) +4; 6 +13 3(9)+4; 19 31. The operation * is not associative for
real numbers.
 The Four Basic Concepts of
Mathematics: 4. BINARY FUNCTION
• Sometimes, a binary operation on a finite set (a set with a limited
number of elements) is displayed in a table which shows how the
operation is to be performed. A binary operation, * is defined on the set
{1, 2, 3, 4}. The table below shows the 16 possible answers using this
operation.
• (To read the table: read the first value from the left hand column and
the second value from the top row. The row answer is the intersection
point).
* 1 2 3 4
• Examples:
1 4 3 2 1
– 1. What is 2 * 2? Answer 1
2 3 1 4 2
– 2. Is 4 * 3 commutative? Answer: 4*3 = 3
3 2 4 1 3
– And 3*4 = 3
3 2 4 1 3
4 1 2 3 4