Mathematics in the Modern World

Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

3. POWERFUL
Language  Able to express complex thoughts
 The method of human communication, with relative ease. Ex. “2 + 4” means
either spoken or written, consisting of the we need to add 2 and 4 to get 6.
use of words in a structured and
conventional way.
 is as system of words or signs that people Mathematical Expressions
use to express thoughts and feelings to
 Expressions are like nouns and
each other. (Merriam- webster.com)
pronouns (subject)
 is a system of communication, a medium
 Do not express complete thought and
for thought, and a social interaction.
are only part of the mathematical
sentences such as variables,
numbers, sets, functions.
Importance  A correct arrangement of
 To communicate our expressions, mathematical symbols used to
feelings, thoughts, and ideas to others. represent a mathematical object of
interest and it does not state a
complete thought.
Mathematical Language
 Mathematics is a language that is
understood throughout the world. Mathematical Sentence
 It is also used in expressing and  Will make sense if it is combined with
communicating ideas to others without verb just as in English language,
the burden of translating such to different which are equal signs and its variants
languages. symbols (predicate)
 The language of mathematics is designed  A correct arrangement of
for: mathematical symbols that states a
1. Numbers complete thought.
2. Sets
3. Functions
4. Operations Commonly used Symbols
Characteristics of Mathematical Language 1. The ten digits – 1, 2, 3,….9
2. Operations - +, -, x, ÷
1. PRECISE
3. Sets:∪ , ∩, ⊂ , ⊃
 Able to make a very fine distinction
4. Variables: a, b, c, x, and y
based on definition. Ex. A square is
5. Special symbols: +, <, >, ≤ , ≥, π
different to a circle based on
definition. 6. Logic symbols: ~, ^, V, → ,↔
2. CONCISE 7. Set Notations: N, W, Z, Q, R, C
 Able to say things briefly because it is
in a different symbol. Ex. “twice the
number eight is sixteen” → 2 x 8 = 16
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

Division

Convention
 Is a general agreement about basic
principles accepted as true. (Merriam
Webster Dictionary)
 A mathematical convention is a fact,
name, notation, or usage which is
generally agreed upon by
mathematicians.
Numbers, Sets, and Functions
Basic Conversion of Phrase The Real Number System
into Mathematical Expression
Addition

Subtraction

Number
Natural = 1, 2, 3 ….
Whole = 0, 1, 2, 3 ……
Integers = … -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, ….
Q = The set of rational numbers
Q = the set of irrational numbers
Multiplication R = the set of real numbers
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

C = the set of complex numbers o The set of integer multiples of

the number 5

Set
 A set is a well-defined collection of Cardinality of Set
distinct objects.  Notation: n(A)
 The objects in a set are called the  For finite sets A, n(A) is the number of
elements or members of the set. elements of A.
 Capital letters A, B, C …. usually denote  For infinite sets A, write n(A)=∞ .
sets.
 Lowercase letters a, b, c… denote the
elements of a set. Specifying a set
 Examples
o The collection of the vowels in Tabular or Roster Form
the word “probability”.  List the elements explicitly, e.g
o The collection of real numbers C = {a, o, i}
that satisfy the equation.
 List the elements implicitly, e.g.
o The collection of two-digit
positive integers divisible by 5. K = {10, 15, 20, 25, …. 95}
o The collection of great football
players in the National Football Set Builder Notation
Q = { x | x = p / q, where p and q are integers and
League.
o The collection of intelligent q≠0}
members of the United States
Congress.

Empty Set
 The set with no element
 Also called the null set.
 Denoted by the symbol ∅
 Example
The Universal Set
o The set of real numbers x that A set U that includes all the elements under
satisfy the equation: X2 + 1 = 0 consideration in a particular discussion.
Depends on the context.

Finite and Infinite Sets Examples: The set of Latin letters, the set of
natural numbers, the set of points on a line.
 A finite set is one which can be counted.
 Example:
o The set of two-digit positive
integers has 90 elements.
 An infinite set is one which cannot be The Membership Relation
counted. Let A be a set and let x be some object.
 Example:
Notation:
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

Meaning: x is a member of A, or x is an element of A ∩ B= {2 }

A, or x belongs to A.
 Definition: A and B are disjoint if
Negated by writing.
A ∩ B= ∅
Example: . ,

Complements
Equality of sets If A is a subset of the universal set U, then the
 Two sets A and B are equal, denoted A=B, complement of A is the set.
if they have the same elements.
A ={ x ∈ U | x ∉ A }
C
 Otherwise, A≠B.
 Example: Note:
o The set A of odd positive integers
is not equal to the set B of prime
numbers.
 Example:
o The set of odd integers between
Venn Diagrams
4 and 8 is equal to the set of  Venn diagrams show relationships
prime numbers between 4 and 8 between sets and their elements.

Subsets
 A is a subset of B if every element of A is
an element of B.
 Notation: A ⊆ B
 For each set A, A ⊆ A
 For each set B, ∅ ⊆ B
 A is proper subset of B if A ⊆ B and Set A represented as a disk inside a rectangular
A≠B region representing U.

Unions
 The union of two sets A and B is.
A ∪ B= { x| x ∈ A∨x ∈ B }
 The word “or” is inclusive.

Intersections
 The intersection of A and B is.
A ∪ B= { x| x ∈ A∧x ∈ B }
 Example:
o Let A be the set of even positive
integers and B the set of prime
positive integers. Then
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

Two Sets Venn Diagram o U = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5} is the universal

set and A = {2, 3}. What is A′?
 U = {a, b} is the universal set and T = {a}.
What is T′?
 U = {+, -, x, ÷, =} is the universal set and A
= {÷, =}. What is A′?

The Union of Two Sets

Combining Sets – Set Union

 “A union B” is the set of all elements that
are in A, or B, or both.
The Complement of a Set  This is similar to the logical “or” operator.

Intersection of Two Sets

 The shaded region represents the

complement of the set A

Set Complement
 ~A or A’
 “A complement,” or “not A” is the set of
all elements not in A
Combining Sets – Set Intersection
 “A intersect B” is the set of all elements
*What the others have that you don’t* that are in both A and B.
 Examples  This is similar to the logical “and”
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol

Operation on Sets
 The union of sets is the set of all elements
found in both sets. The union of A and B,
denoted by A U B and read as “A union B”
A U B = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9,6,8,10}

 The difference of two sets, written as A –

B, is the set of all elements of A that are
not elements of B. A – B = {1,3,5}

 The intersection of sets A and B, denoted

by A ∩ B, is the set of all elements
common to both sets A and B.
A ∩ B = {7, 9}

 The complement of set A, denoted by A’,

is the set of elements that are not in set A
but in the universal set. A’ = {6,8,10,2,4}
Mathematics in the Modern World
Lesson 3: Mathematical Language and Symbol