The Language,

Symbols, Syntax, and

Rules of Mathematics
 The Language of mathematics is the
system used by mathematicians to
communicate mathematical ideas among
themselves. This language consists of a
substrate of some natural language using
technical terms and grammatical
conventions that are peculiar to
mathematical discourse supplemented by a
highly specialized symbolic notation for
 Mathematics as a language has
symbols to express a formula or to
represent a constant. It has syntax to
make the expression well-formed
and to make the characters and
symbols clear and valid that do not
violate the rules.
 Mathematical symbols can designate
numbers (constants), variables,
operations, functions, brackets,
punctuation and grouping to help
determine the order of operations and
other aspects of logical syntax. A
mathematical concept is independent of
the symbol chosen to represent it.
The Language of Mathematics makes it
easy to express the kinds of symbols,
syntax, and rules that mathematicians like
to do and characterized by the following:
a. Precise (able to make very fine
distinctions)
Example: The use of mathematical symbol
is only done based on its meaning and
b. Concise (able to say things briefly)
Example: The long English sentence can
be shortened using mathematical
symbols.

c. Powerful (able to express complex

thoughts with relative ease)
Example: Critical thinking and Problem –
Writing Mathematical
Language as an
Expression or a
Sentence
Expression/Mathematical Expression
 Finite combination of symbols that is well –
formed according to rules that depend on
the context.
 It is a correct arrangement of mathematical
symbols used to represent a mathematical
object of interest.
 It does not state a complete thought; it does
not make sense to ask if an expression is true
or false.
Mathematical Sentence
 The analogue of an English
sentence; it is a correct
arrangement of mathematical
symbols that states a complete
thought.
 It can be always/ sometimes true
and always/ sometimes false.
Mathematical Convention
- is a fact, name, notation, or usage
which is generally agreed upon by
mathematicians.

Mathematicians abide by conventions in

order to allow other mathematicians to
understand what they write without
 Perform Operations on Mathematical
Expressions Correctly

Order of Operation
 is the hierarchy of mathematical
operations.
It is the set of rules that determines which
operations should be done before or after
others.
 The order of operations or
BODMAS/ PEMDAS is merely a
set of rules that prioritize the
sequence of operations
starting from the most
important to the least
Step 1: Do as much as you can to
simplify everything inside the
parenthesis first.
Step 2: Simplify every exponential
number in the numerical expression.
Step 3: Multiply and divide
whichever comes first, from left to
right.
Step 4: Add and subtract whichever
Examples:

1.Evaluate: (11 – 5) x 2 –
3+1
2.Evaluate: 10 ÷ 2 + 12 ÷
2𝑥3
THE FOUR BASIC CONCEPTS OF
MATHEMATICS
1. SET
-It is a collection of well-defined
objects that contains no duplicates. The
objects in the set are called the
elements of the set. We use braces { },
and capital letters to represent it.
Examples:
1. The books in the shelves in a
library.
2. The bank accounts in a bank.
 TYPES OF SET
1. FINITE SET – contains
elements that can be counted
and terminates at certain
natural number.
 TYPES OF SET
2. INFINITE SET – contains
elements that cannot be
counted and terminates at
certain natural number.
 A set which does not have
members at all is a null set.

A set with only one member is

called a singleton of set.
SPECIFICATION OF
SETS
1. List Notation/ Roster Method
- It is a way by listing all its
members.

Note: List names of elements of a set, separate

them by commas and enclose them in braces:
 2. PREDICATE NOTATION/RULE
METHOD/SET – BUILDER
NOTATION
- It is a way by stating a property of
its elements.
 3. RECURSIVE RULE
-It is a way by defining a set of
rules which generates or
defines its members.
2. RELATION
3. FUNCTION
 RELATIONS FUNCTIONS
It is a rule that relates values from a It is a relation where each element in
set of values (called the domain) to a the domain is related to only one value
second set of values (called the range). in the range by some rule.

The elements of the domain can The elements of the domain can
be imagined as input to a be imagined as input to a
machine that applies a rule to machine that applies rule so
these inputs to generate one or that each input corresponds to
more outputs. only one output.
A relation is also a A function is a set of ordered
pairs (x,y) such that no two
set of ordered pairs ordered pairs have the same x –
(x, y). value but different y – values.
Which of the following mapping diagrams
represent functions?
A D X y

1 10 11 31

2 20 12 42

3 30 13 63

4 40 14 44

5 50 15 85
 RELATIONS FUNCTIONS
It is a rule that relates values from a set It is a relation where each element in
of values (called the domain) to a the domain is related to only one value
second set of values (called the range). in the range by some rule.

The elements of the domain can The elements of the domain can
be imagined as input to a be imagined as input to a
machine that applies a rule to machine that applies rule so that
these inputs to generate one or each input corresponds to only
more outputs. one output.
A relation is also a set A function is a set of ordered
pairs (x,y) such that no two
of ordered pairs (x, y). ordered pairs have the same x –
value but different y – values.
Which of the following mapping diagrams
represent functions?
A D X y

1 10 11 31

2 20 12 42

3 30 13 63

4 40 14 44

5 50 15 85
Which of the following mapping diagrams
represent functions?
S D C J

16 3
1 18 42
4
3 20 63
5
22
7 44
24 6
Which of the following set ordered pairs
represent functions?

1. f = { (1,3), (2,2), (3,5), (4,5) }

2. g = { (1,3), (1,4), (2,5), (2,6), (3,7) }
3. h = { (2,6), (3,6), (4,2), (6,8), (9,1) }
The Vertical Line Test

A graph represents a function if

and only if each vertical line intersects
the graph at most once.
Which of the following graphs represent
functions?
Which of the following graphs represent functions?
Which of the following represents a function?

(a) y = 2x + 1
(b) y = x² - 2x +2
(c) x² + y² = 8
(d) y = 𝑥 + 1
2𝑥+1
(e) y =
𝑥 −1
(f) y = [x] + 1 where [x] is the greatest integer
function.
4. BINARY FUNCTION
 BINARY OPERATION
- It is a calculation involving
two elements of the set to
produce another element of
the set.
Binary Operations include
addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and
division.
f(x) = x
Evaluating a Function
Means replacing the variable in the
function, in this case x, with a value from
the function’s domain and computing for
the result. To denote that we are
evaluating f at a for some a in the domain
of f, we write f(a).
Let f(x) = 2x³- 3x² - 5x + 2

a.f(1)
b.f(-1)
c.f(3)
Evaluate the following functions at x = 2:

1.f(x) = 2x + 1 5

2.g(x) = x² - 2x + 2 2

3.g(x) = 𝑥 + 1 𝟑
2𝑥+1
4.r(x) = 5
𝑥 −1
Given f(x) = x – 2, find the following
values:
1.f(0)
2.f(3)
3.f(-1)
4.f(π)
5.f(x + 1)
6.f(3x)
Given f(x) = 𝑥 − 3, find the following
values:
a.f(3)
b.f(12)
c.f(x – 3)
1
d.f( )
1 −𝑥
e.f(x² + 4x + 7)
Operations
on
Functions
 Operations on Functions
Let f and g be functions.

Their sum, denoted by f + g, is the function defined

by (f + g) (x) = f(x) + g(x).
Example
f(x) = 3x – 6 g(x) = 2x² - 5x +
: 9

Find : (f + g) (x)
 Operations on Functions
Let f and g be functions.

Their difference, denoted by f - g, is the function

defined by (f - g) (x) = f(x) - g(x).
Example
f(x) = 3x – 6 g(x) = 2x² - 5x +
: 9

Find : (f - g) (x)
 Operations on Functions
Let f and g be functions.

Their product, denoted by f*g, is the function

defined by (f * g) (x) = f(x) * g(x).
Example
f(x) = 3x – 6 g(x) = 2x² - 5x +
: 9

Find : (fg) (x)

 Operations on Functions
Let f and g be functions.

Their quotient, denoted by f / g, is the function

defined by (f / g) (x) = f(x) / g(x).
Example
f(x) = 3x – 6 g(x) = 2x² - 5x +
: 9

Find : (f/g) (x)

Add, subtract, multiply, and divide the
following functions and simplify the results.

𝑥+1
f(x) = x² - 3x + 2 and g(x) =
𝑥 −1
Given: • f(x) = x + 3
• p(x) = 2x – 7
• v(x) = x² + 5x + 4
• g(x) = x² + 2x -8
𝑥+7
• h(x) =
2 −𝑥
𝑥−2
• t(x) =
𝑥+3
Directions: Perform the following operations on
functions.

1. (v + g) (x)
2. (fp) (x)
3. (f + h) (x)
4. (p – f) (x)
5. (v/g) (x)
Composition
of Functions
Definition:
Let f and g be functions. The composite
function, denoted by (f o g), is defined by
(f o g) (x) = f(g(x)).

The process of obtaining a composite function

is called function composition.
• g (x) = 𝑥 + 1
• f (x) = 2x + 1
2𝑥 + 1
• r (x) =
𝑥 −1
• q (x) = x² - 2x + 2