Chapter II

MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE AND SYMBOLS

Lesson Outline
2.1 The Nature of Mathematics as a Language
1.1.1 Characteristics of mathematical language
2.1.2 The grammar of mathematics
2.2 Mathematical Expressions and Sentences
2.2.1 Expressions versus sentences
2.2.2 Conventions in the mathematical language
2.3 The Language of Sets
2.3.1 Set
2.3.2 Relations and operations on sets
2.3.3 The Venn diagram
2.4 The Language of Relations and Functions
2.4.1 Relations
2.4.2 Functions
2.4.3 Domain of a Function
2.5 The Language of Logic
2.5.1 Logic
2.5.2 Logical connectives
2.5.3 The truth table

Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the chapter, the students will be able to
✓ Explain the nature of mathematics as a language,
✓ Write mathematical expressions and sentences using symbols,

✓ Solve practical problems involving the language of sets, relations and functions, and
logic, and
✓ Appreciate the usefulness of mathematical language.
2.1. The Nature of Mathematics as a Language
In this lesson, you will be introduced to a mathematical way of thinking that can serve
you in a wide variety of situations. In dealing with any situation, you need to understand and use
a language to express your ideas.
2.1.1. Characteristics of Mathematical Language

People often consider mathematics a difficult subject matter because they consider the
language of mathematics foreign to them. However, like any language, mathematics has its own
symbols, syntax and rules to understand the expressed ideas and to communicate ideas to others.,
The language of mathematics makes it easy to express the kinds of thoughts that
mathematicians like to express. There are three important characteristics of the language of
mathematics. These are precision, conciseness, and powerful.

a. Precision refers to the quality, and condition of being exact and accurate. (able to make
very fine distinctions)
b. Conciseness involves using the most appropriate and minimal number of effective
words to make one’s point understood. (able to say things briefly)
c. Powerful. The language of mathematics is considered to be powerful when it is able to
express complex thoughts with relative ease.
2.1.2. The Grammar of Mathematics

Mathematics has its own grammar, vocabulary, syntax, word order, synonyms and
antonyms, conventions, abbreviations, negations, and sentence and paragraph structures. The
main reason for the importance of mathematical grammar is that statements of mathematics are
supposed to be precise. Mathematical sentences become highly complex if the parts that made
them up were not clear and simple which makes them difficult to understand.
The grammar of mathematics refers to the structural rules governing the use of symbols
representing mathematical objects.
Some difficulties in math language include the following:
• The word "is" could mean equality, inequality or membership in a set
• Different uses of a number; to express quantity (cardinal), to indicate the order (ordinal),
and as a label (nominal)
• Mathematical objects may be represented in many ways, such as sets and functions
• The words "and' & "or" means different from its English use Example 1. Express the
following using mathematical symbols
1. 5 is the square root of 25
2. 5 is less than 10
3. 5 is a prime number
 It is common in mathematics to use the equal sign “=” when using the word is. For
example, the statement “two plus three is five” can be written in the form “2 + 3 = 5”. Let us go
back to the illustrations above. We have the following translations of the statements a, b, and c
using mathematical symbols as follows:
1. 5= √25

2. 5<10
3. 5∈P

We can observe from the solutions that the equal sign is not necessarily used to express
the second and third statement. Instead, we use other symbols to express correctly these two
statements.

2.2. Mathematical Expressions and Sentences

In this lesson, you will learn to translate expressions and sentences using mathematical
symbols.
2.2.1. Expressions versus Sentences
We call the mathematical analogue of noun as EXPRESSION. Thus, an expression is a
name given to a mathematical object of interest. Whereas, in English we need to talk about
people, places, and things. We know that mathematics has much different objects of interest such
as numbers, sets, matrix, ordered pair, etc.
Ideas regarding expressions
a. Expressions have different names. In mathematics, we frequently need to work with numbers,
these numbers are the most common mathematical expressions. And, numbers have lots of
different names.

Example 2. The number 5 can be written in many ways as follows:

2+3 10÷2 (6-2)+1 1+1+1+1+1

This simple idea- that numbers has lots of different names – is extremely important in
mathematics. This is the same concept as synonyms in English (words that have the same (or
nearly the same) meaning.

b. Common in solving expressions is to simplify. The most common type of problem involving
expressions is to simplify. But what does simple mean?
✓ Fewer symbols
✓ Fewer operations
✓ Better suited to current use
✓ Preferred/ style/format
 Examples 3.
1. 3 + 1 + 5 and 9 are both names for the same number but 9 uses fewer symbols.
2. 3 + 3+ 3 + 3 + 3 and 5x3 are both names for the same number, but 5x3 uses fewer operation
1.33 and 1 have the nearly the same values, but for some learners it may be suited to consider 1 as this is easier for them to understand its value. Besides, 1
1 1
3. 3 3
1
3 is not exactly equal to 1.33.

4. We write ½ instead of 13/26. We usually write reduced form or simplest form as fraction
in simplest form is necessary.

A mathematical sentence is the analogue of an English sentence; it is a correct

assignment of mathematical symbols that states a complete thought. Sentences are used to state
complete thoughts. A typical English sentence has at least one noun, and at least one verb. For
example, Joseph loves Mathematics.
Truth of a Sentence
The notion of truth (the property of being true or false) is of fundamental importance in
the mathematical language.
Ideas regarding mathematical sentence
a. Mathematical Sentences have verbs and connectives. Just as English sentences have verbs,
so do mathematical sentences.
For instance, in the mathematical sentence 3 + 4 = 7. The equal sign is actually the verb
and indeed one of the most popular mathematical verbs. The symbol “+” in 3 + 4 = 7 is a
connective which is used to connect objects of a given type.

b. Truth of Sentences. Sentences can be true or false. It makes sense to ask the truth of a
sentence. Ask if Is it true? Is it false? Is it sometimes true? Is it sometimes false?

EXPRESSIONS VS. SENTENCES

Expression (or mathematical expression) is a finite combination of symbols that is well-
defined according to rules that depend on the context. Symbols can designate numbers,
variables, operations, functions, brackets, punctuations, and groupings to help determine the
order of operations and other aspects of mathematical syntax.

Expression – correct arrangement of mathematical symbols to represent the object of

interest, does not contain a complete thought, and cannot be determined if it is true or false.
Some types of expressions are numbers, sets, and functions.

Sentence (or mathematical sentence) – a statement about two expressions, either using
numbers, variables, or a combination of both. Uses symbols or words like equals, greater
than, or less than. It is a correct arrangement of mathematical symbols that states a complete
thought and can be determined whether it’s true, false, sometimes true/sometimes false.
 ENGLISH MATHEMATICS
EXPRESSION
Name given to an Nouns such as person,
object of interest. place, and things and
pronouns.
2

Example: 3–2

a) Ernesto 3

b) Batangas City 3 +2

c) Book + +

d) He
SENTENCE
It has a complete Group of words that
thought. express a statement,
question, or command.

Example:
a) Ernesto is a boy. 3+2=5

b) He lives in Batangas + =

City. ++=0

c) Allan loves to read ( + )

2
=
2
+2

books. +
2

d) Run!
e) Do you love me?
Ideas regarding sentences:

mathematical sentence; 3 + 4 = 7 the verb is =. It’s easy to hear the verb if you read the sentence as ‘three plus four is
Ideas regarding sentences are explored. Just as English sentences have verbs, so do mathematical sentences. In the
equal to seven,’ Indeed, the equal sign = is one of the most popular mathematical verbs.

Example:
1. The capital of the Philippines is Manila.
2. Rizal park is in Cebu.
3. 5+3=8
4. 5+3=9

2.2.2. Conventions in the Mathematical Languag

Mathematical conventions are particular symbols, facts, names, and notations used by
mathematicians, engineers, scientists, and other users of mathematics in their writings, studies,
and work.
 Mathematical symbols and names are conventional. People abide by the conventions to
understand each other without having to constantly redefine terms. Some of the most common
mathematical conventions include the following:
1. The equal sign “=” is one of the most common mathematical symbols used to express
equality of two expressions written on both sides of the symbols. It is used to replace the word
“is” but not always depending on the meaning thought of the statement.
2. When dealing with order of operations, it is a convention to perform the order of operations
as follows: parentheses, exponentiation, multiplication and division (from left to right), and
addition and subtraction (from left to right). We can use the mnemonic PEMDAS to perform the
order of operations.
3. Addition of numbers when done vertically is performed from right to left.
4. The arithmetic operations are implied by the following words/terms:
a. Addition “+” : plus, add, sum, total, more than, increase by,…
b. Subtraction “–”: minus, subtract, difference, less than, take away, decrease by, deduct, …
c. Multiplication “x”: times, multiply, product, groups of, …
Multiplication may be denoted by a dot “.”, a parenthesis (), or asterisk “∗”. Division may be denoted by the following forms: " ” or “a/b” such as 15 ÷ 3, can be written as 15
⁄3.
15
d. Division “÷”: divide, quotient, split, share, …

5. 3 or

6. A variable such as x is usually placed to the right of the equal sign and the expression that
defines the variable to the right of the equal sign. For example: Let x = the set of even integers
between 10 and 20.
7.
̅̅̅̅
A bar is placed over the digits that repeat in writing decimals such as 1. 33 for expressing

1.33… or 4/3.
8. One dozen means 12.
9. Any number divided by zero is undefined.
10. When a number is drawn horizontally, the convention is that the positive direction is to the
right; and when the number line is drawn vertically, the positive direction is upward.
11. A set of consecutive numbers is expressed by the first and last numbers as “the integers from
5 to 10” would indicate that there are actually 6 integers, even without using the word inclusive.
On the other hand, the expression as “the integers between 5 and 10” indicates that there are
actually four integers only which means that 5 and 10 are excluded in the set.
12. The following are standard symbols used as conventions in mathematics:

Conventions Meaning

a. x≥y x is greater than or equal to y

b. x≤y x is less than or equal to y

c. x≠y x is not equal to y

d. |x| the absolute value of x

e. x⊥y line x is perpendicular to line y

f. √ the square root of x

 3

g. √ the cube root of x

h. 2
the square of x

i. x≈y x is approximately equal to y

j. x% x percent

a) Sets and Logic

b) Basic Operations and Relational Symbols
c) Set of Numbers

Translating words into symbol

Practical problems seldom, if ever, come in equation form. The job of the problem
solver is to translate the problem from phrases and statements into mathematical expressions
and equations, and then to solve the equations.
Examples:
Let x and y be a number. Translate each phrase or sentence into a mathematical expression
or equation.
1.Twelve more than a number.
Ans.: 12 +
2.Eight minus a number.
Ans.: 8 −

3.An unknown quantity less fourteen.

Ans.: − 14
4.Six times a number is fifty-four.
Ans.: 6 = 54

= 11
2
5. Two-ninths of a number is eleven. Ans.: 9

6. Three more than seven times a number is nine more than five times the number. Ans.: 3 + 7 = 9 + 5

7. Twice a number less eight is equal to one more than three times the number. Ans.: 2 − 8 = 3 + 1 or 2 − 8 = 1 + 3

8. Twice the square of a number.

Ans.: 2 2

Ans.:
9. A number divided by the square of another number.
2