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Speaking Mathematically

The document discusses key concepts in mathematics language and symbols. It explains that mathematics uses precise, concise, and powerful language to communicate complex ideas through structural rules and symbols. Some challenges include ambiguity in words like "is" and different uses of numbers. Mathematical expressions refer to objects, while statements make complete thoughts using types such as universal, conditional, and existential. Variables stand in for unknown quantities, and sets are collections of distinct objects that can be defined using membership, rosters, or characteristics.

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Ann Marasigan
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568 views4 pages

Speaking Mathematically

The document discusses key concepts in mathematics language and symbols. It explains that mathematics uses precise, concise, and powerful language to communicate complex ideas through structural rules and symbols. Some challenges include ambiguity in words like "is" and different uses of numbers. Mathematical expressions refer to objects, while statements make complete thoughts using types such as universal, conditional, and existential. Variables stand in for unknown quantities, and sets are collections of distinct objects that can be defined using membership, rosters, or characteristics.

Uploaded by

Ann Marasigan
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Speaking Mathematically

Mathematics Languages and Symbols

“The laws of nature are written in the language of mathematics.” - Galileo Galilei
Importance of Language
 To understand the expressed ideas
 To communicate ideas to others

Characteristics of the Mathematics Language


 Precise (able to make very fine distinctions or definitions)
 Concise (able to say things briefly)
 Powerful (able to express complex thoughts with relative ease)
The Grammar of Mathematics
 Structural rules governing the use of symbols representing mathematical objects
Difficulties
 The word “is” could mean equality, inequality, or membership in a set
 Different use of a number (cardinal, ordinal, nominal, ratio)
 Mathematical objects may be represented in many ways such as sets and functions.
 The words “and” and “or” mean differently in mathematics from its English use.
Difference between Expression and Statement
 Expression- the noun given to math object
Example:𝑥 + 5; sin 𝑥; log 𝑥
 Statement/ Sentence- states a complete thought
Example: 2𝑥 + 𝑦 = 6; 𝑋 > 5; 𝑥 𝑖𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛
Types of Mathematical Statements
1. Universal Statement – says that certain property is true for all elements in a set.
Example:
 All positive numbers are greater than zero
 For every 𝑥 ∈ ℝ , 𝑥 2 ≥ 0.

2. Conditional Statement – says that if one thing is true then something also has to be true.
Example:
 If 378 is divisible by 18, then 378 is divisible by 6.
 If 𝑥 is even, then 𝑥 is divisible by 2
3. Existential Statement – one which expresses the existence of at least one object (in particular
universe of discourse) which has a particular property.
Example:
 There is a prime number that is even.
 There exist a number 𝑥; 𝑥 2 + 4 = 13.

4. Universal Conditional Statements – a statement that is both universal and conditional.


Example:
 For all real number 𝑥, if 𝑥 is nonzero then 𝑥 2 is positive.
 For all integer 𝑛, if 𝑛2 is even then 𝑛 is even

5. Universal Existential Statements – a statement that is universal because its first part says that
a certain property is true for all objects of a given type, and existential because its second part
asserts the existence of something.
Example:
 For all nonzero number 𝑟, there is a number 𝑠 such that 𝑠 is the reciprocal of 𝑟.
 Every real number has an additive inverse.

6. Existential Universal Statements – a statement that is existential because its first part asserts
that a certain object exist and is universal because its second part says that the object satisfies
a certain property for all things.
Example:
 There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to every positive integer.
 There exist a real number whose product with every real equals zero.

VARIABLES
Variable – a symbol, commonly a single letter that represents a number which is either arbitrary,
not fully specified or unknown.
- Using variable allows us to give a temporary name to what we’re seeking so that we
can perform concrete computations with it to help discover its possible values.
- Ensures that ambiguity is avoided.
Consider the statement below:
Is there a number with the following property: doubling it and adding 3 gives the same
result as squaring it?
Example: Writing English word to mathematical phrases using variables.
1. Twice a number less than six
2. Twice a number less six
3. Twice a number is less than six
4. The square of a number
5. The sum of square of two numbers
6. The square of sum of two numbers
7. A number more than ten
8. A number more ten
9. Six greater than a number
10. Six is greater than a number
11. One half of a number
12. Square root of five times a number
13. The product of a 5 and a number less three.

SETS
- a well-defined collection of distinct objects. It is said to be well-defined if it is possible
to determine whether a particular object belongs to a given set or not. The objects are called
members or elements of the set. Capital letters are used to denote a set while small letters are
used to denotes elements.
- If 𝑆 is a set, the notation 𝑥 ∈ 𝑆 means that 𝑥 is an element of 𝑆. The notation 𝑥 ∉ 𝑆
means that 𝑥 is not an element of 𝑆.

Two special type of Set


 Empty set or null set
 Universal set
Ways on describing a set
1. Roster method – done by listing the elements of the set.

2. Set builder method – done by stating or describing the common characteristics of the
elements of the set.

3. Real number line – done by plotting the points in the real number line.
SUBSET
If 𝐴 and 𝐵 are sets then 𝐴 is called a subset of 𝐵, written 𝐴 ⊆ 𝐵, if and only if every
element of 𝐴 is also an element of 𝐵. Symbolically
𝐴 ⊆ 𝐵 means that for all element 𝑥, if 𝑥 ∈ 𝐴 then 𝑥 ∈ 𝐵.
𝐴 ⊈ 𝐵 means that there is at least one element 𝑥 such that 𝑥 ∈ 𝐴 and 𝑥 ∉ 𝐵.

Remarks:
All set is a subset of itself.
Empty set is a subset of all set.

POWER SET
Let 𝐴 be a set the power set of 𝐴, denoted by 𝑃(𝐴) is the set of all subset of 𝐴.

ORDERED PAIR
Given elements 𝑎 and 𝑏, symbol (𝑎, 𝑏) denotes the ordered pair consisting of 𝑎 and 𝑏
together with the specification that 𝑎 is the first element and 𝑏 is the second element of the pair.
Two ordered pairs (𝑎, 𝑏) and (𝑐, 𝑑) are equal, if and only if, 𝑎 = 𝑐 and 𝑏 = 𝑑. Symbolically
(𝑎, 𝑏) = (𝑐, 𝑑) means that 𝑎 = 𝑐 and 𝑏 = 𝑑.

CARTESIAN PRODUCT
Given sets 𝐴 and 𝐵, the Cartesian product of 𝐴 and 𝐵, denoted by 𝐴 × 𝐵 and read as
“𝐴 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑠 𝐵” is the set of all ordered pairs (𝑎, 𝑏), where 𝑎 is in 𝐴 and 𝑏 is in 𝐵.
Symbolically 𝐴 × 𝐵 = {(𝑎, 𝑏)| 𝑎 ∈ 𝐴, 𝑏 ∈ 𝐵}.

BASIC SETS OPERATION

 UNION of set 𝐴 and 𝐵 is the set 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 of all elements which belongs to 𝐴 or 𝐵 or both.
Symbolically, 𝐴 ∪ 𝐵 = {𝑥|𝑥 ∈ 𝐴 𝑜𝑟 𝑥 ∈ 𝐵}.

 INTERSECTION of two sets 𝐴 and 𝐵 is the set 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵 of all elements common to both
𝐴 and 𝐵. Symbolically 𝐴 ∩ 𝐵 = {𝑥|𝑥 ∈ 𝐴, 𝑥 ∈ 𝐵}.

 𝑨 minus 𝑩 (𝑨 − 𝑩) is defined by 𝐴 − 𝐵 = {𝑥|𝑥 ∈ 𝐴, 𝑥 ∉ 𝐵}.

 COMPLEMENT – Let 𝐴 be a subset of the universal set 𝑈, the complement of 𝐴


denoted by 𝐴′ is defined by 𝐴′ = 𝑈 − 𝐴 = {𝑥|𝑥 ∈ 𝑈, 𝑥 ∉ 𝐴}.

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