Chapter 2 > Mathematical Language and Symbols Language is the system of words, signs and symbols which people use to express ideas, thoughts and feelings. Language consists of the words, their pronunciation and the methods of combining them to be understood by a community. Language is a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures or marks having understood meanings (Merriam-Webster, 2017), Every sciencehas its own lingo and word usage. Mathematical languageis the system Used to communicate mathematical ideas. The language of mathematics is more precise than any other language one may think of. Like other languages, it has its own grammar, syntax, vocabulary, word order, synonyms, negations, conventions, idioms, abbreviations, sentence structure and paragraph structure. it has certain language features unparalleled in other languages, such as representation. The language also includes @ large component of logic. The ordinary language which gradually expands to comprise symbolism and logic leads to learning of mathematics and its useful application to problem situations The use of apt language is the key to making mathematics comprehensible and understandable. This language consists of a substrate of ordinary language using technical terms and grammatical conventions that are peculiar to mathematical discussions, supplemented by a highly specialized symbolic notation for mathematical formulae. More advanced courses such as geometry, discrete mathematics and abstract algebra are concerned not just with manipulating symbols and solving equations but with understanding the interrelationships among sophisticated concepts. The language of mathematics can ably explain and express all these, ‘All human languages have grammatical structures that distinguish between nouns and verbs. These structures express the difference between the objects themselves and the actions carried out by or on the objects. Numbers, measurements, shapes, spaces, functions, patterns, data and arrangements are regarded as mathematical nouns, or objects while mathematical verbs may be considered as the four main actions attributed to problem-solving and reasoning. These actions represent the process one goes thru to solve a problem. According to Kenney, Hancewicz, Heuer, Metsisto and Tuttle (2005), these four main actions are: = Modeling and formulating : Creating appropriate representations and relationships to mathematize the original problem, 27> ,matical form in which a ing the mathe! Me ee +t represent solutions, . forming and manipulati ahem ol .d to equivalent forms tha problem is originally expresse’ sults to the original problem situation, and he results in that light. 1s been learned about a problem to a ‘+ Inferring : Applying derived re interpreting and generalizing t ‘© Communicating : Reporting what ha specified audience. Definitely, mathematics i 2 language. Expertise in this language can Be gained by Jong and carefully supervised experiences on its usage and application. Objectives ‘After the students have gone through Chapter I. Mathematical Language and Symbols, they should 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; and 4. Acknowledge that mathematics is a useful language. Characteristic of Mathematical Language Mathematics is about ideas — relationships, quantities, processes, measurements, reasoning and so on. The use of language in mathematics differs from the language of ordinary speech in three important ways, according to Jamison (2000). ‘+ First, mathematical language is non-temporal. There is no past, present or future in mathematics. + Second, mathematical language is devoid of emotional content. ‘+ Third, mathematical language is precise. Ordinary speech is full of ambiguities, innuendoes, hi ities, innui , hidden agenda and Seton atl assumptions. Since ordinary language tolerates vagueness, rudents have little practice in forming clear, precise : Seon te precise sentences and often lack the a ene of netlabel notation, both symbolic and graphical iti pact (conveying a lot of information and id : f rm ideas in very little sper a esse (conveying the important information for the current situation feed onie tn a For learners, this can also be a disadvantage, because one can refer to so many ideas (Developing Mathematical Language, 2016) 28 | Mathematics in the Modern World eeeWhile students learn how to do math, they must also learn how to say and articulate what they learn. They must learn to recognize and answer “why” questions 50 that they will develop problem solving sills. It is most important to learn the concepts and use the symbolism as a tool of communication. Vocabulary Understanding is a major contributor to overall comprehension in many content areas, including mathematics. Effective methods for teaching vocabulary in all content areas are diverse and long standing. Teaching and learning the language of mathematics is vital for the development of mathematical proficiency. Students’ mathematical vocabulary learning is a very important part of their language development and ultimately mathematical proficiency (Riccomini, ‘Smith, Hughes and Fries, 2015). Once students understand how things are said, they can better understand what is being said, and only then do they have a chance to know why it is said. Regrettably, many people see mathematics only as a collection of arcane rules for manipulating bizarre symbols - something far removed from speech and writing. Probably, this results from the fact that most elementary mathematics courses - arithmetic in elementary school, algebra and trigonometry in high school, and calculus in college - are procedural courses focusing on techniques for working with numbers, symbols, and equations. Although this formal technique is important, formulae are not ends in themselves but derive their real importance only as vehicles for expression of deeper mathematical thoughts. More advanced courses = such as geometry, discrete mathematics, and abstract algebra - are concerned not just with manipulating symbols and solving equations but with understanding the interrelationships among a whole host of sophisticated concepts (Jamison, 2000). As children develop their capacity for understanding, language and its vocabulary becomes a vital cognitive link between a child's natural sense of number and order and conceptual learning (Chard, n.d.). Mathematics is a language in itself and mathematical language is precise, concise and powerful. Likewise, it is clear and objective. ‘Mathematical Expressions and Sentences ‘One of the objectives in learning mathematics is for students to be able to confidently speak about it. It is important that students are competent to discuss ideas and explain how they solve mathematics problems or what the consequences and possibilities are if they use the wrong process. Math words, expressions and sentences can help students explain what they think. Precise math terms to achieve better understandings and deeper appreciation of mathematics, {tis essential to recognize the parts that make up a mathematical expression, ‘a8 well as the basic vocabulary used when discussing mathematical expressions, 29ision are operations that can Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and divi ble below are the words or make up a mathematical expression. Given in the ta phrases which are indicative of the four operations Table 2. Operational Terms and Symbols Addition subtration ‘Multiplication Division GI tl bx, 0,4) G&A Plus minus ‘multiplied by divided by the sum of rrrditterence of [the productof _| the quotient of increased by decreased by times of per total subtracted from added to a, the symbol x is rarely used to show k may be used instead of x ~ that is, to expressedas 2(x)+8 or 2° Since x is often used as a variable in algebs multiplication. Hence, dot, parenthesis or asteris! indicate multiplication. For example, 2x + 8 could also be x+8, ‘an one variables. Multivariate mathematical expressions have more th Examples of a multivariate expression are: mm Sxy + 9x-12 = 31abe a 9y/3x ‘Mathematical expressions con: is separated from other terms with either plus or minus Si an expression in parentheses or other grouping symbols. sist of terms. The term of a mathematical expression jgns. A single term may contain In algebra, variables or letters are used to represent numbers. An algebraic ‘expression is a quantity which contains numbers and variables. The variable, also called Iteral coefficient, represents the unknown and makes use of letters. The number with the variable is the numerical coefficient, Any single number is called a constant. In the expression 10x + 11, the numerical coefficient of x is the number 10 while x is the literal coefficient of x; and it means 10 times x plus 11. The number 11 {5 constant. thus, itis called a monomial. On the other hand, For example, 21(x-8) has 1 term, :wo expressions 5x +12y has two terms, while 3x +2(x + y)~ 36 has three terms. These t are referred to as binomial and trinomial, respectively: A mathematical expression with more than two terms is called polynomial. A trinomial is 2 polynomial 30 | Mathematics in the Modern World‘A mathematical sentence combines two mathematical expressions using a ‘comparison operator. These expressions either use numbers, variables, or both. The comparison operators include equal, not equal, greater than, greater than or equal to, less than and less than or equal to. The signs which convey equality or inequality are also called relation symbols because they specify how two expres-sions are related. A ‘mathematical expression containing the equal sign is an equation. The two parts of an equation are called its members. A mathematical expression containing the inequality sign is an inequality. Examples of equation: 4x43 = 19 by-5 = 55 10#1 = m (xy 2) 3 58-q = Examples of inequality 15x-5 < 3y, 18 > 165 a9 < x 10 > Sxyz atbtc <999 ‘An open sentence in math means that it uses variables, meaning that it is not known whether or not the mathematical sentence is true or false. A closed sentence, on the other hand, is a mathematical sentence that is known to be either true or false. Examples of open sentence: 2xy < 3y 18w > 16.5 3(m+n) = 100 fab-c= 1 x+y 25 4-3=v The obtuse angle is N degrees. 2m =n abe 3x4 3y-4 Examples of true closed sentence: 2oery) = W+2y 18 (2) > 165 3 (men) = (msn) + (m+n) + (men) Bc-c= 7 9 is an odd number. 25:1/2 =5 31A null set is always a subset of any given set and is considered an improper sup... of the given set. Other than the set itself and the null set, all are considered prope, ‘Subsets. The set containing all the subsets of the given set with n number of eleme,., is called the power set with 2" number of elements. 1.4, There are four operations performed on sets. Suppose, we named the two sets, Set A and Set 8, ther + Union of Sets A and B [denoted by AB] isa set whose elements are foung , Aor Bor in both. In symbol: AW B=(x/x Aorxe B) + Intersection of sets A and B [denoted by AB] is a set whose elements ar. common to both sets. Insymbol: AB = (x/x ¢ Aandx € 8} + Difference of sets A and B [denoted by A—B] isa set whose elements are foung in set A but not in set B. _ In symbol: A-B={x/x ¢ Aandx ¢ B} = Complement of Set A [denoted by A'] is a set whose elements are found in the Universal set but not in set A. Insymbol: A'={x/x ¢ Uandx eA} 1.5. The pictorial representation of relationship and operations of sets is the so called Venn-Euler Diagrams or simply Venn Diagrams. The universal set is usualy represented by a rectangle while circles within the rectangle usually represent is subsets. The shaded region in the given diagrams illustrates the sets relation o: operation. 2. Functions ‘A function f from a set of elements X to a set of elements ¥ is a rule that assign to each element x in X exactly one element y in ¥. For example, let Set X consists of fou students and Set ¥ consists of their favorite subjects, respectively: X = {Alyssa, Elijah, Steph, Shei) Y = {Chemistry, Math, Physics, Statistics} Then, the result is a set of ordered pairs of the form (x, y), written as: {(Alys? Chemistey), (Elijah, Math), (Steph, Physics), (Shei, Statistics)} 34 | Mathematics in the Modern WorldThe student-subject pair given in the example above relates each element of Set X with exactly one element of set Y. Functions are mathematical entities that give unique outputs to particular inputs. There are many ways to think about functions, but they, at all times, have three most important parts: = Input ‘+ Relationship © Output Also, a function has special rules: ‘= Afunction works for every possible input value. ‘+ Afunction has only one relationship for each input value. Likewise, a function consists of argument (input to a function), value (output), domain (set of all permitted inputs to a given function) and codomain (set of permissible outputs) Let X be the set consisting of four shapes: triangle, rectangle, hexagon and squi and let Y be the set consisting of five colors: red, blue, green, pink and yellow jare; Linking each shape to its color is a function from X to Y : each shape is linked to 2 color {that is, an element in ¥) and each shape is linked or mapped to exactly one color. There is no shape that lacks a color and no shape that has more than one color. This function will be referred to as the “color-of-the-shape function”. Thus, the domain of the veolor-of the-shape function” isthe set of the four shapes and the codomain consists of the five colors. The concept of a function does not require that every possible output is the value of some argument, e.g. the color blue is not the color of any of the four shapes in X (Function, 2017). The rules on performing operations of functions, fand g, are the following © The sum f+g is the function defined by: = (F +8) x= f(x) +80) + The difference f -gis the function defined by: (fg) x= lx) - 80) «The product f * g is the function defined by: y= (f* 8) x= f(x) * eb) «The quotient f /g is the function defined by: y= (F/e) x= fle) / Bl) | 3536 3. Relations A relation is a set of inputs and output (input, output). A relation is a rule which asso with at least one element in the second set (Set 8). 1, Disjoint sets A and B 2. SetAisa 4, Intersection of sets A and B, AB Mathematics in the Modern World its, oftentimes: express! ‘cates each element of the first set (Set 4) OO Union of sets A and: ‘proper subset of set B, "(@ u A B, AUB B u ved as ordered pairs AcBA relation can be represented as a mapping diagram or a graph. Mapping or pairing from domain to the range is one way to show correspondence in a relation For example, a relation can be represented as: INPUT ouTPUT ee ee \ I Figure 2.1. Mapping Diagram of Relation in which the lines connect the inputs with their outputs. The relation can also be represented as: Figure 2.2. Graph of Relation 37‘A function is a relation in which each input has only one output. A function is a rule Which uniquely associates elements of the first set (Set A) with the elements of the secong Set (Set B); each element in Set A maps to only one element in Set B. In the relation mapped and graphed above, y isa function of x, because for each input x(1, 2, 3, or 0), there is only one output y. x isnot.a function of y, because the input Y= 3 has multiple outputs: x= 1 and x-=2 (Algebra Il. Functions, 2017). When an independent variable corresponds to more than one variable, it is g relation. A relation is a correspondence between a first set of variables such that for some elements of the first set of variables, there correspond at least two elements of the second set of variables (Zorilla et al., 2016). 4. Binary Operations The term binary means consisting of two parts. In mathematics, binary means that it belongs to a number system with base 2 and not base 10. A binary number is made up of only 0's and 1's. Examples are 1001 and 11010, There is no 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9 in binary number! Binary numbers have many uses in mathematics, in the digital world and beyond. A bit is a single binary digit. The number 11010 has 5 bits. To distinguish a binary from a decimal number, it is written with a subscript 2. To transform the binary number 111111, to decimal: £6007 40) Oo POR Se 64 1 HO. OO hai 2 32 £80 5: Oye 0 0: a 16 Ace Or 4 OF [50 2 8 ee a) By ah em, 10 2 2 ae ed Papa dete ot 4s 127 Since 64 +32 +16+8+4+2+1 equals 127; therefore, 111111, equals 127. 38 | Mathematics in the Moder WorldTo convert a decimal number to binary number: Decimal Binary 2 0 1 2 1, 2 2+0 10, ¥ 244 ag, z 4 P+0+0 100, 5 B+oel 101, 6 B+2+0 110, In the decimal number 342.5, there are 3 hundreds, 4 tens, 2 ones and 5 tenths. In a binary number 1111.1, there are 1 eight, 1 four, 1 two, 1 one and 1 one-half. The 3 on the right side of the decimal point isn the hal or halves position. 1121.42 equals 15.5 in decimal while 342.5 equals 101010110.12, ‘Anonline binary-to-decimal and decimal-to-binary converter and vice versa may be used for very large numbers. [ http://www rapidtables.com/convert/number/decimal-to binary.htm J. The following are converted using the said online converter Decimal Binary 100 1100100 400 110010000 500 111110100 555 1000101011 1000 1111101000 3333.5 110100000101.1 5000.5 1001110001000.1 [binary operation isa rule for combining two values to produce 2 06¥4 value. The most widely known binary operations are those learned in elementary school: addition, ‘ubtraction, multiplication and division on various sets of numbers. 39Generalizations 1. Mathematics is a language in itself. Hence, it is useful in communicating important mathematical ideas. Like any language, mathematics has its own, ‘symbols, syntax and rules. 2, Mathematical language is precise, concise and powerful. Likewise, it is clear and objective. 3. Precise mathematical words or terms, expressions and sentences can help students achieve better understandings and deeper appreciation of mathematics. 4, Language conventions are necessary in mathematics for it to be understood by all. To understand the meaning of math symbols, there are two things to consider, namely : context and convention. 42 | Mathematics in the Modern World