Mathematics in the Modern World

Module 3
Chapter 2 - Mathematics as a Language

Introduction
Language is very powerful. It is used to express our emotions, thoughts, and
ideas. However, if the recipient of the message cannot understand you, then there
is no communication at all.
Mathematics is very hard for others to study because they are very
overwhelmed with the numbers, operations, symbols, and formulae. On the other
hand, if one knows how to interpret and understand these things, then the subject
will be comprehendible.

In this chapter we will be going to discuss Variables, The Language of Sets,

and The language of Relations and Functions.

Variables
In algebra, a symbol (usually a letter) standing in for an unknown numerical
value in an equation. Commonly used variables include x and y (real number
unknowns), z (complex number unknowns) and etc.., in translating word problems
into algebraic equations, quantities to be determined can be represented as a
variables.
To Illustrate, consider:

Is there a number with the following property: doubling it and

adding 3 gives the same result as squaring it?

In this sentence we can introduce a variable to replace the potentially ambiguous

word “it”:

Is there a number x with the property that 2𝑥 + 3 = 𝑥

Changing the unknown as a variable allows you to give temporary name to what
you are seeking so you can perform concrete computations with it, and solve what
are the possible values of it. To emphasize the role of the variable as a placeholder,
you might write the following:

Is there a number with the property that 2 ∗ [ ] + 3 = ?

The emptiness of the box help you imagine filling it in with a variety of different
values, some of which might make the two sides equal and others if which might
not.

1
To illustrate the second use of variables, consider the statements:

No matter what number might be chosen, if it is greater than 2,

Then its square is greater than 4.

Now we change our unknown to a temporary name, it allows us to maintain the

generality of the statement, and replacing all instances of the word “it” by the
name of the variable to ensure that possible ambiguity is avoided:

No matter what number n might be chosen, if n is greater than 2, then 𝑛 is

greater than 4.

EXAMPLE 1 Writing Sentence Using Variables

Use variables to rewrite the following sentences more formally.
a. Are there numbers with the property that sum of their squares equals the
square of their sum?
b. Given any real number, its square is non-negative.
Solutions
a. Are there numbers a and b with the property that 𝑎 + 𝑏 = (𝑎 + 𝑏) ?
Or: Are there numbers a and b such that 𝑎 + 𝑏 = (𝑎 + 𝑏) ?
Or: Do there exist any numbers a and b such that 𝑎 + 𝑏 = (𝑎 + 𝑏) ?
b. Given any real number 𝑛, 𝑛 is nonnegative.
Or: For any real numbers 𝑛, 𝑛 ≥ 0.
Or: For all real numbers 𝑛, 𝑛 ≥ 0.

ACTIVITY
Use variables to rewrite the following sentences more formally.
a. Are there numbers whose squares are smaller than the numbers
themselves?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
b. A prime number is an integer greater than 1 and whose only
positive divisors are 1 and itself.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2
Kinds of Mathematical Statements
A universal statement says that a certain property is true for all elements in a set.
For example: All positive numbers are greater than zero.

A conditional statement says that if one thing is true then some other things also
have to be true.
For example: If 378 is divisible by 18, then 3778 is divisible by 6.

An existential statement says that there is at least one thing for which the property is
true.
For example: There is a prime number that is even.

Universal Conditional Statements

Universal statements contain some variation of the words “for all” and conditional
statements contain versions of the words “if-then”. A universal conditional
statement is a statement that is both universal and conditional.

Example:

For all animals a, if a is a dog, the a is a mammal.

One of the most important facts about universal conditional statements is that they
can be rewritten in ways that make them appear to be purely universal or purely
conditional.

Example:

If a is a dog, then a is a mammal.

Or: If an animal is a dog, then the animal is a mammal.

The statement can also be expressed so as to make its universal nature explicit and
its conditional nature implicit:

For all dogs a, a is a mammal.

Or: All dogs are mammals.

The crucial point is that the ability to translate among various ways of expressing
universal statements is enormously useful for doing mathematics and many parts of
computer science.

EXAMPLE 2 Rewriting a Universal Conditional Statement

Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement:

For all real numbers x, if x is nonzero then 𝑥 is positive.

a. If a real number is nonzero, then its square ____.

b. For all nonzero real numbers x, ______.
c. If x ____, then ______.
d. The square of any nonzero real number is ______.
e. All nonzero real numbers have ________.

3
Solution

a. is positive
b. 𝑥 is positive
c. Is a nonzero real number; 𝑥 is positive
d. Positive
e. Positive squares (or: squares that are positive)

ACTIVITY
Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement:
For all real numbers 𝑥 , if 𝑥 is greater than 2, then 𝑥 is greater than 4.
a. If a real number is greater than 2, then its square is _______________________.
b. For all real numbers greater than 2, _____________________________________.
c. If 𝑥 ___________, then _____________________________.

d. The square of any real number greater than 2 is _____________________.

e. All real numbers greater than 2 have ___________________________________.

Universal Existential Statements

A universal existential statement is a statement that is universal because its first part
says that a certain property is true for all objects of a given type, and it is existential
because its second part asserts the existence of something. For example:

Every real number has an additive inverse.

All real numbers have additive inverses.

Or: For all real numbers n, there is an additive inverse for n.

Or: For all real numbers n, there is a real number such as s such that s is an additive
inverse for.

Introducing names for the variables simplifies references in further discussion.

One of the most important reasons for using variables in mathematics is that it
gives you the ability to refer to quantities unambiguously throughout a lengthy
mathematical argument, while not restricting you to consider only specific values
for them.

4
EXAMPLE 3 Rewriting a Universal Existential Statement

Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement. Every pot has a lid.

a. All pots ______.

b. For all pots P, there is _______.
c. For all pots P, there is a lid L such that _______.

Solution

a. Have lids
b. A lid for P
c. L is a lid for P

ACTIVITY
Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement: All bottles have cap.

a. Every bottle _____________________________.

b. For all bottles B, there ____________________.
c. For all bottles B, there is a cap C such that ______________________.

Existential Universal Statements

An existential universal statement is a statement that is existential because its first

part asserts that a certain object exists and is universal because its second part says
that the object satisfies a certain property for all things of a certain kind. For
example:

There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to every positive integer.

This statement is true because the number one is a positive integer, and it satisfies
the property of being less than or equal to every positive integer. We can rewrite
the statement into:

Some positive integer is less than or equal to every positive integer.

Or: There is a positive integer m that is less than or equal to every positive integer.

Or: There is a positive integer m such that every positive integer is greater than or
equal to m.

Or: There is a positive integer m with the property that for all positive integers n,
𝑚 ≤ 𝑛.

5
EXAMPLE 4 Rewriting an Existential Universal Statement

Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement in three different ways:

There is a person in my class who is at least as old as every person in my class.

a. Some ______ is at least as old as ______.

b. There is a person p in my class such that p is _________.
c. There is a person p in my class with the property that for every person q in my
class, p is _______.

Solution

a. Person in my class; every person in my class

b. At least as old as every person in my class
c. At least old as q.

ACTIVITY
Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following in three different ways:

There is a bird in this flock that is at least as heavy as every bird in the flock.

a. Some __________________ is at least as heavy as __________________________.

b. There is a bird b in this flock such that b is ________________________________.
c. There is a bird b in this flock with the property that for every bird b in the flock,
b is __________________________________.

Most of the important mathematical concepts can only be defined using phrases
that are universal, existential, and conditional, and they require the use of all three
phrases “for all,” “there is,” and “if-then,”

It’s the reason why most of the mathematics books are very hard to understand,
but by continually exposing yourself in this type of language you will see
mathematics in the way how it should be.

All credits belong to author of the book mentioned in references

6
REFERENCES

Book- Mathematics in the Modern World by Richard Aufmann et al..,

Variable | mathematics and logic | Britannica.com