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Why are symbols not written in words?
How can I read numbers and mathematical symbols comfortably, at a university level?Why are some integrals not analytically solvable?How to mathematically express square to not “lose” sign of a vectorAssigning Interval on MATLAB SymbolsWhy does the eigenvector have to be positive here?How to express the following in mathematical symbols?Meaning of symbolsCan a statement about uninterpreted symbols be proved giving them a meaning?What is sigma symbols with reduce represent?Counting number of words of length $n$Check if the expression is not equal zero with modular arithmetic
$begingroup$
We could have written = as "equals", + as "plus", $exists$ as "thereExists" and so on. Supplemented with some brackets everything would be just as precise.
$$exists x,y,z,n in mathbbN: n>2 land x^n+y^n=z^n$$
could equally be written as:
ThereExists x,y,z,n from theNaturalNumbers suchThat
n isGreaterThan 2 and x toThePower n plus y toThePower n equals z toThePower n
What is the reason that we write these words as symbols (almost like a Chinese word system?)
Is it for brevity? Clarity? Can our visual system process it better?
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
If algebra and logic had been invented in Japan or China, might the symbols actually have just been the words themselves?
It almost seems like for each symbol there should be an equivalent word-phrase that it corresponds to that is accepted.
symbolic-computation
$endgroup$
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We could have written = as "equals", + as "plus", $exists$ as "thereExists" and so on. Supplemented with some brackets everything would be just as precise.
$$exists x,y,z,n in mathbbN: n>2 land x^n+y^n=z^n$$
could equally be written as:
ThereExists x,y,z,n from theNaturalNumbers suchThat
n isGreaterThan 2 and x toThePower n plus y toThePower n equals z toThePower n
What is the reason that we write these words as symbols (almost like a Chinese word system?)
Is it for brevity? Clarity? Can our visual system process it better?
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
If algebra and logic had been invented in Japan or China, might the symbols actually have just been the words themselves?
It almost seems like for each symbol there should be an equivalent word-phrase that it corresponds to that is accepted.
symbolic-computation
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
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– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
$endgroup$
– DMcMor
8 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
We could have written = as "equals", + as "plus", $exists$ as "thereExists" and so on. Supplemented with some brackets everything would be just as precise.
$$exists x,y,z,n in mathbbN: n>2 land x^n+y^n=z^n$$
could equally be written as:
ThereExists x,y,z,n from theNaturalNumbers suchThat
n isGreaterThan 2 and x toThePower n plus y toThePower n equals z toThePower n
What is the reason that we write these words as symbols (almost like a Chinese word system?)
Is it for brevity? Clarity? Can our visual system process it better?
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
If algebra and logic had been invented in Japan or China, might the symbols actually have just been the words themselves?
It almost seems like for each symbol there should be an equivalent word-phrase that it corresponds to that is accepted.
symbolic-computation
$endgroup$
We could have written = as "equals", + as "plus", $exists$ as "thereExists" and so on. Supplemented with some brackets everything would be just as precise.
$$exists x,y,z,n in mathbbN: n>2 land x^n+y^n=z^n$$
could equally be written as:
ThereExists x,y,z,n from theNaturalNumbers suchThat
n isGreaterThan 2 and x toThePower n plus y toThePower n equals z toThePower n
What is the reason that we write these words as symbols (almost like a Chinese word system?)
Is it for brevity? Clarity? Can our visual system process it better?
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
If algebra and logic had been invented in Japan or China, might the symbols actually have just been the words themselves?
It almost seems like for each symbol there should be an equivalent word-phrase that it corresponds to that is accepted.
symbolic-computation
symbolic-computation
edited 8 hours ago
Bernard
128k7 gold badges43 silver badges122 bronze badges
128k7 gold badges43 silver badges122 bronze badges
asked 8 hours ago
zoobyzooby
1,1438 silver badges16 bronze badges
1,1438 silver badges16 bronze badges
4
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
$endgroup$
– DMcMor
8 hours ago
add a comment |
4
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
3
$begingroup$
Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
$endgroup$
– DMcMor
8 hours ago
4
4
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
3
3
$begingroup$
Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
$endgroup$
– DMcMor
8 hours ago
$begingroup$
Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
$endgroup$
– DMcMor
8 hours ago
add a comment |
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
"Integral From a x squared Plus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x Implies Integral From a x squared Minus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x" ?
Quiz:
Do you recognize this one ?
Summation On j From 1 Upto N Of y Index k Times the Product On k From 1 And k NotEqual to j Upto N Of x Minus x Index k Over x Index j Minus x Index k.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
I see a + there!
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
Others have already answered on why one should use symbols. I want to add that one shouldn't overuse symbols, as people sometimes do.
With too many symbols, statements get clustered and confusing. Out of lazyness, many like to write $exists$ quantors in the middle of a sentence. Others overuse e.g. $land$, etc. ($land$ is not a synonym for "and"!)
So basically, one shouldn't overuse symbols.
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1
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
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– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Consider this problem, taken from The Evolution of Algebra in Science, vol. 18, no. 452 (Oct 2, 1891) pp. 183-187 (taken from JSTOR, itself translated from work of Nesselman on a problem by Mohammed ibn Musa):
A square and ten of its roots are equal to nine and thirty units, that is, if you add ten roots to one square, the sum is equal to nine and thirty. The solution is as follows: halve the number of roots, that is, in this case, five; then multiply this by itself, and the result is five and twenty. Add this to the nine and thirty, which gives four and sixty; take the square root, or eight, and subtract from it half the number of roots, namely five, and there remains three: this is the root of the square which was required and square itself is nine.
This is how algebra used to be done; you have similar descriptions in Babylonian scribe tablets, Egyptian papyrii, Middle Age textbooks, etc.
Using symbols, the problem becomes, first, to solve $x^2+10x = 39$.
The process is to complete the square:
$$beginalign*
x^2 + 10x &= 39\
x^2 + 10x + 25 &= 64\
(x+5)^2 &= 64\
x+5 &= 8\
x &= 3
endalign*$$
Something that is much easier to do without too much thought, and certainly much less effort, than the decription. Also, the idea of completing the square is much simpler to explain in symbols than it is to do so rhetorically.
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I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
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– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are lots of reasons.
A major one is of course brevity. Using mathematical notation is much shorter than writing things out in full, which will make a huge difference to a 100+ page proof.
What's more, in mathematical notation, synonyms don't exist. We can say the same thing in English in two different ways, but there is only one true way to express things in notation
The third, and most significant, problem with this is: not everyone speaks English! While we read this notation in our language, other countries will read it in theirs and interpret the same meaning.
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$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
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– Berci
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
"One must be able to say at all times—instead of points, straight lines, and planes— tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” Hilbert
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
That doesn't match my personal experience. For me, if someone speaks a formula aloud, I have to reconstruct in my head how it looks before I can begin to understand what it means. (Sometimes "in my head" doesn't work, and I need to use paper instead).
As for advantages, here is a bit I once wrote for another answer:
Also: cheating is allowed. Very often, large parts of a formula are identical to large parts of a previous formula -- and the only thing that really matters is how it differs from the previous formula. In those cases it is expected that you'll just think to yourself, "oh, this thing is the same as that thing over there", without bothering to understand or remember exactly what "that thing" was in detail. You can just compare the relevant parts symbol for symbol without thinking.
In fact, this last point is part of the reason why formulas are designed to be compact and dense with information. It increases the chance that you can keep the entire formula in your visual short-term memory as you move your eyes from one formula to the next, and thereby make it easy to spot that some parts of them look alike, without even being conscious of the individual symbols. (Who knew all those inane spot-the-differences problems you find in kids' magazines actually train a highly relevant mathematical skill? They do!)
$endgroup$
add a comment |
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6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
6 Answers
6
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
$begingroup$
"Integral From a x squared Plus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x Implies Integral From a x squared Minus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x" ?
Quiz:
Do you recognize this one ?
Summation On j From 1 Upto N Of y Index k Times the Product On k From 1 And k NotEqual to j Upto N Of x Minus x Index k Over x Index j Minus x Index k.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
I see a + there!
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
"Integral From a x squared Plus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x Implies Integral From a x squared Minus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x" ?
Quiz:
Do you recognize this one ?
Summation On j From 1 Upto N Of y Index k Times the Product On k From 1 And k NotEqual to j Upto N Of x Minus x Index k Over x Index j Minus x Index k.
$endgroup$
4
$begingroup$
I see a + there!
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
$begingroup$
"Integral From a x squared Plus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x Implies Integral From a x squared Minus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x" ?
Quiz:
Do you recognize this one ?
Summation On j From 1 Upto N Of y Index k Times the Product On k From 1 And k NotEqual to j Upto N Of x Minus x Index k Over x Index j Minus x Index k.
$endgroup$
"Integral From a x squared Plus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x Implies Integral From a x squared Minus b Plus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Plus One RightParenthesis Differential x IsGreater Integral From a x squared Plus b Minus c To Infinity of a Times LeftParenthesis x Plus LeftParenthesis x Plus c RighParenthesis Over LeftParenthesis x Minus One RightParenthesis Differential x" ?
Quiz:
Do you recognize this one ?
Summation On j From 1 Upto N Of y Index k Times the Product On k From 1 And k NotEqual to j Upto N Of x Minus x Index k Over x Index j Minus x Index k.
edited 7 hours ago
answered 8 hours ago
Yves DaoustYves Daoust
139k8 gold badges82 silver badges239 bronze badges
139k8 gold badges82 silver badges239 bronze badges
4
$begingroup$
I see a + there!
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
4
$begingroup$
I see a + there!
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– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
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@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
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– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
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@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
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– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
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@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
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– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
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@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
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– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
4
4
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I see a + there!
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– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
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I see a + there!
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– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
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@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
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– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
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@HenningMakholm: sorry, typo.
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
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– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@HenningMakholm . And typos "Righ" . Almost inevitable in this style. Medieval European math in the original actually looks something like this, for example Tartaglia's poem (!) presenting the solution to the cubic equation.... And at one time you had to write $xxxxx$ prior to a general theory of exponents, until someone got tired of it and wrote $x^5$
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: furthermore, some parenthesis are not balanced...
$endgroup$
– Yves Daoust
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
$endgroup$
– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
@DanielWainfleet: I'm not sure there was ever a literal "$xxxxx$" stage, but the renaissance algebraists experimented with several arcane symbolic notations before arriving at $x^5$. Initially their representations were based on earlier prose descriptions that didn't even number the powers but said something like "the cube by the square" (in Italian) instead -- still influenced by a geometric tradition where squaring and cubing were more dignified operations than higher powers.
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– Henning Makholm
7 hours ago
|
show 2 more comments
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Others have already answered on why one should use symbols. I want to add that one shouldn't overuse symbols, as people sometimes do.
With too many symbols, statements get clustered and confusing. Out of lazyness, many like to write $exists$ quantors in the middle of a sentence. Others overuse e.g. $land$, etc. ($land$ is not a synonym for "and"!)
So basically, one shouldn't overuse symbols.
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1
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Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
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– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
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+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
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– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Others have already answered on why one should use symbols. I want to add that one shouldn't overuse symbols, as people sometimes do.
With too many symbols, statements get clustered and confusing. Out of lazyness, many like to write $exists$ quantors in the middle of a sentence. Others overuse e.g. $land$, etc. ($land$ is not a synonym for "and"!)
So basically, one shouldn't overuse symbols.
$endgroup$
1
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Others have already answered on why one should use symbols. I want to add that one shouldn't overuse symbols, as people sometimes do.
With too many symbols, statements get clustered and confusing. Out of lazyness, many like to write $exists$ quantors in the middle of a sentence. Others overuse e.g. $land$, etc. ($land$ is not a synonym for "and"!)
So basically, one shouldn't overuse symbols.
$endgroup$
Others have already answered on why one should use symbols. I want to add that one shouldn't overuse symbols, as people sometimes do.
With too many symbols, statements get clustered and confusing. Out of lazyness, many like to write $exists$ quantors in the middle of a sentence. Others overuse e.g. $land$, etc. ($land$ is not a synonym for "and"!)
So basically, one shouldn't overuse symbols.
answered 8 hours ago
KezerKezer
1,5446 silver badges22 bronze badges
1,5446 silver badges22 bronze badges
1
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
add a comment |
1
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
1
1
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
Example : " $ exists >1$ example of over-use"............+1
$endgroup$
– DanielWainfleet
7 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
$begingroup$
+1 I've written several answers on this site suggesting that the OP use words, with symbols only when they are the best way to convey meaning. That's not nearly as often as people think.
$endgroup$
– Ethan Bolker
3 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Consider this problem, taken from The Evolution of Algebra in Science, vol. 18, no. 452 (Oct 2, 1891) pp. 183-187 (taken from JSTOR, itself translated from work of Nesselman on a problem by Mohammed ibn Musa):
A square and ten of its roots are equal to nine and thirty units, that is, if you add ten roots to one square, the sum is equal to nine and thirty. The solution is as follows: halve the number of roots, that is, in this case, five; then multiply this by itself, and the result is five and twenty. Add this to the nine and thirty, which gives four and sixty; take the square root, or eight, and subtract from it half the number of roots, namely five, and there remains three: this is the root of the square which was required and square itself is nine.
This is how algebra used to be done; you have similar descriptions in Babylonian scribe tablets, Egyptian papyrii, Middle Age textbooks, etc.
Using symbols, the problem becomes, first, to solve $x^2+10x = 39$.
The process is to complete the square:
$$beginalign*
x^2 + 10x &= 39\
x^2 + 10x + 25 &= 64\
(x+5)^2 &= 64\
x+5 &= 8\
x &= 3
endalign*$$
Something that is much easier to do without too much thought, and certainly much less effort, than the decription. Also, the idea of completing the square is much simpler to explain in symbols than it is to do so rhetorically.
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I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
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– zooby
6 hours ago
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@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
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– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
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– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Consider this problem, taken from The Evolution of Algebra in Science, vol. 18, no. 452 (Oct 2, 1891) pp. 183-187 (taken from JSTOR, itself translated from work of Nesselman on a problem by Mohammed ibn Musa):
A square and ten of its roots are equal to nine and thirty units, that is, if you add ten roots to one square, the sum is equal to nine and thirty. The solution is as follows: halve the number of roots, that is, in this case, five; then multiply this by itself, and the result is five and twenty. Add this to the nine and thirty, which gives four and sixty; take the square root, or eight, and subtract from it half the number of roots, namely five, and there remains three: this is the root of the square which was required and square itself is nine.
This is how algebra used to be done; you have similar descriptions in Babylonian scribe tablets, Egyptian papyrii, Middle Age textbooks, etc.
Using symbols, the problem becomes, first, to solve $x^2+10x = 39$.
The process is to complete the square:
$$beginalign*
x^2 + 10x &= 39\
x^2 + 10x + 25 &= 64\
(x+5)^2 &= 64\
x+5 &= 8\
x &= 3
endalign*$$
Something that is much easier to do without too much thought, and certainly much less effort, than the decription. Also, the idea of completing the square is much simpler to explain in symbols than it is to do so rhetorically.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
$endgroup$
– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Consider this problem, taken from The Evolution of Algebra in Science, vol. 18, no. 452 (Oct 2, 1891) pp. 183-187 (taken from JSTOR, itself translated from work of Nesselman on a problem by Mohammed ibn Musa):
A square and ten of its roots are equal to nine and thirty units, that is, if you add ten roots to one square, the sum is equal to nine and thirty. The solution is as follows: halve the number of roots, that is, in this case, five; then multiply this by itself, and the result is five and twenty. Add this to the nine and thirty, which gives four and sixty; take the square root, or eight, and subtract from it half the number of roots, namely five, and there remains three: this is the root of the square which was required and square itself is nine.
This is how algebra used to be done; you have similar descriptions in Babylonian scribe tablets, Egyptian papyrii, Middle Age textbooks, etc.
Using symbols, the problem becomes, first, to solve $x^2+10x = 39$.
The process is to complete the square:
$$beginalign*
x^2 + 10x &= 39\
x^2 + 10x + 25 &= 64\
(x+5)^2 &= 64\
x+5 &= 8\
x &= 3
endalign*$$
Something that is much easier to do without too much thought, and certainly much less effort, than the decription. Also, the idea of completing the square is much simpler to explain in symbols than it is to do so rhetorically.
$endgroup$
Consider this problem, taken from The Evolution of Algebra in Science, vol. 18, no. 452 (Oct 2, 1891) pp. 183-187 (taken from JSTOR, itself translated from work of Nesselman on a problem by Mohammed ibn Musa):
A square and ten of its roots are equal to nine and thirty units, that is, if you add ten roots to one square, the sum is equal to nine and thirty. The solution is as follows: halve the number of roots, that is, in this case, five; then multiply this by itself, and the result is five and twenty. Add this to the nine and thirty, which gives four and sixty; take the square root, or eight, and subtract from it half the number of roots, namely five, and there remains three: this is the root of the square which was required and square itself is nine.
This is how algebra used to be done; you have similar descriptions in Babylonian scribe tablets, Egyptian papyrii, Middle Age textbooks, etc.
Using symbols, the problem becomes, first, to solve $x^2+10x = 39$.
The process is to complete the square:
$$beginalign*
x^2 + 10x &= 39\
x^2 + 10x + 25 &= 64\
(x+5)^2 &= 64\
x+5 &= 8\
x &= 3
endalign*$$
Something that is much easier to do without too much thought, and certainly much less effort, than the decription. Also, the idea of completing the square is much simpler to explain in symbols than it is to do so rhetorically.
answered 7 hours ago
Arturo MagidinArturo Magidin
271k34 gold badges598 silver badges928 bronze badges
271k34 gold badges598 silver badges928 bronze badges
$begingroup$
I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
$endgroup$
– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
$endgroup$
– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
$endgroup$
– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
I admit the symbols are easier to do on paper. But actually I think using the words as an algorithm, I think I could do it in my head better without relying on symbols. I wouldn't like to write the equation to a cubic in words though!
$endgroup$
– zooby
6 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: So, here’s the thing. Symbols are meant to make it easier to convey and manipulate the information. Leibnitz used to say that having good notation can do as much as solve half the problem for you. The notation of the Legendre symbol, for example, makes quadratic reciprocity simpler to use, understand, and prove, than Gauss’s original notation for it. But nobody forces you to use symbology, especially as a solving tool. You should use whichever method seems better to you. What you should not do, however, is confuse the difficulty of starting to use symbols with that of using them.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
$begingroup$
@zooby: That is: there is a “start up cost” that can be pretty steep, but it is also possible that once that price is paid, things are much easier. An example of that might be touch typing, or LaTeX: it is difficult to start using them, and the initial investment of effort to be able to use them is often much higher than that needed to solve any particular problem. But once you make a one-time investment to learn to use them, you never have to pay the (smaller) price for the one-time problems, and so if you do a lot of them, it’s worth the investment.
$endgroup$
– Arturo Magidin
2 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are lots of reasons.
A major one is of course brevity. Using mathematical notation is much shorter than writing things out in full, which will make a huge difference to a 100+ page proof.
What's more, in mathematical notation, synonyms don't exist. We can say the same thing in English in two different ways, but there is only one true way to express things in notation
The third, and most significant, problem with this is: not everyone speaks English! While we read this notation in our language, other countries will read it in theirs and interpret the same meaning.
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$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
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– Berci
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are lots of reasons.
A major one is of course brevity. Using mathematical notation is much shorter than writing things out in full, which will make a huge difference to a 100+ page proof.
What's more, in mathematical notation, synonyms don't exist. We can say the same thing in English in two different ways, but there is only one true way to express things in notation
The third, and most significant, problem with this is: not everyone speaks English! While we read this notation in our language, other countries will read it in theirs and interpret the same meaning.
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
$endgroup$
– Berci
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
There are lots of reasons.
A major one is of course brevity. Using mathematical notation is much shorter than writing things out in full, which will make a huge difference to a 100+ page proof.
What's more, in mathematical notation, synonyms don't exist. We can say the same thing in English in two different ways, but there is only one true way to express things in notation
The third, and most significant, problem with this is: not everyone speaks English! While we read this notation in our language, other countries will read it in theirs and interpret the same meaning.
$endgroup$
There are lots of reasons.
A major one is of course brevity. Using mathematical notation is much shorter than writing things out in full, which will make a huge difference to a 100+ page proof.
What's more, in mathematical notation, synonyms don't exist. We can say the same thing in English in two different ways, but there is only one true way to express things in notation
The third, and most significant, problem with this is: not everyone speaks English! While we read this notation in our language, other countries will read it in theirs and interpret the same meaning.
answered 8 hours ago
Rhys HughesRhys Hughes
7,2941 gold badge6 silver badges30 bronze badges
7,2941 gold badge6 silver badges30 bronze badges
$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
$endgroup$
– Berci
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
$endgroup$
– Berci
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
$endgroup$
– Berci
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
I don't agree with 'synonyms don't exist'. In fact, the system of mathematical symbols have plenty of homonyms and synonyms: for example the 'disjoint union' has the following notations, among others: $overset*cup, cup^*, coprod, +$.
$endgroup$
– Berci
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
"One must be able to say at all times—instead of points, straight lines, and planes— tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” Hilbert
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$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
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– zooby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
"One must be able to say at all times—instead of points, straight lines, and planes— tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” Hilbert
$endgroup$
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
"One must be able to say at all times—instead of points, straight lines, and planes— tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” Hilbert
$endgroup$
"One must be able to say at all times—instead of points, straight lines, and planes— tables, chairs, and beer mugs.” Hilbert
answered 4 hours ago
Steven Thomas HattonSteven Thomas Hatton
1,1525 silver badges23 bronze badges
1,1525 silver badges23 bronze badges
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
$begingroup$
Draw a chair through two tables on a beer mug. Any three tables lie on a beer mug.
$endgroup$
– zooby
4 hours ago
add a comment |
$begingroup$
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
That doesn't match my personal experience. For me, if someone speaks a formula aloud, I have to reconstruct in my head how it looks before I can begin to understand what it means. (Sometimes "in my head" doesn't work, and I need to use paper instead).
As for advantages, here is a bit I once wrote for another answer:
Also: cheating is allowed. Very often, large parts of a formula are identical to large parts of a previous formula -- and the only thing that really matters is how it differs from the previous formula. In those cases it is expected that you'll just think to yourself, "oh, this thing is the same as that thing over there", without bothering to understand or remember exactly what "that thing" was in detail. You can just compare the relevant parts symbol for symbol without thinking.
In fact, this last point is part of the reason why formulas are designed to be compact and dense with information. It increases the chance that you can keep the entire formula in your visual short-term memory as you move your eyes from one formula to the next, and thereby make it easy to spot that some parts of them look alike, without even being conscious of the individual symbols. (Who knew all those inane spot-the-differences problems you find in kids' magazines actually train a highly relevant mathematical skill? They do!)
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Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
That doesn't match my personal experience. For me, if someone speaks a formula aloud, I have to reconstruct in my head how it looks before I can begin to understand what it means. (Sometimes "in my head" doesn't work, and I need to use paper instead).
As for advantages, here is a bit I once wrote for another answer:
Also: cheating is allowed. Very often, large parts of a formula are identical to large parts of a previous formula -- and the only thing that really matters is how it differs from the previous formula. In those cases it is expected that you'll just think to yourself, "oh, this thing is the same as that thing over there", without bothering to understand or remember exactly what "that thing" was in detail. You can just compare the relevant parts symbol for symbol without thinking.
In fact, this last point is part of the reason why formulas are designed to be compact and dense with information. It increases the chance that you can keep the entire formula in your visual short-term memory as you move your eyes from one formula to the next, and thereby make it easy to spot that some parts of them look alike, without even being conscious of the individual symbols. (Who knew all those inane spot-the-differences problems you find in kids' magazines actually train a highly relevant mathematical skill? They do!)
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add a comment |
$begingroup$
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
That doesn't match my personal experience. For me, if someone speaks a formula aloud, I have to reconstruct in my head how it looks before I can begin to understand what it means. (Sometimes "in my head" doesn't work, and I need to use paper instead).
As for advantages, here is a bit I once wrote for another answer:
Also: cheating is allowed. Very often, large parts of a formula are identical to large parts of a previous formula -- and the only thing that really matters is how it differs from the previous formula. In those cases it is expected that you'll just think to yourself, "oh, this thing is the same as that thing over there", without bothering to understand or remember exactly what "that thing" was in detail. You can just compare the relevant parts symbol for symbol without thinking.
In fact, this last point is part of the reason why formulas are designed to be compact and dense with information. It increases the chance that you can keep the entire formula in your visual short-term memory as you move your eyes from one formula to the next, and thereby make it easy to spot that some parts of them look alike, without even being conscious of the individual symbols. (Who knew all those inane spot-the-differences problems you find in kids' magazines actually train a highly relevant mathematical skill? They do!)
$endgroup$
Because not only do we have to learn the symbols, in order to understand it we have to say the real meaning in our heads.
That doesn't match my personal experience. For me, if someone speaks a formula aloud, I have to reconstruct in my head how it looks before I can begin to understand what it means. (Sometimes "in my head" doesn't work, and I need to use paper instead).
As for advantages, here is a bit I once wrote for another answer:
Also: cheating is allowed. Very often, large parts of a formula are identical to large parts of a previous formula -- and the only thing that really matters is how it differs from the previous formula. In those cases it is expected that you'll just think to yourself, "oh, this thing is the same as that thing over there", without bothering to understand or remember exactly what "that thing" was in detail. You can just compare the relevant parts symbol for symbol without thinking.
In fact, this last point is part of the reason why formulas are designed to be compact and dense with information. It increases the chance that you can keep the entire formula in your visual short-term memory as you move your eyes from one formula to the next, and thereby make it easy to spot that some parts of them look alike, without even being conscious of the individual symbols. (Who knew all those inane spot-the-differences problems you find in kids' magazines actually train a highly relevant mathematical skill? They do!)
answered 7 hours ago
Henning MakholmHenning Makholm
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250k17 gold badges329 silver badges570 bronze badges
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4
$begingroup$
Symbols have two big advantages: clarity; and good symbology allows manipulation that makes things easier. Books even a few hundred years ago were "rhetorical": even algebra was explained in words, rather than symbols. Trying to solve an equation described in words, by performing algebraic manipulations in words, is extremely difficult. As to Japan/China, as it turns out positional system and some of the algorithms for arithmetic did arise in China... and they did not use ideograms.
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– Arturo Magidin
8 hours ago
3
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Partly for brevity, and partly for ease of manipulation. It's much easier to do algebra on $x + 2 = 5$ than on "two more than $x$ is five." There is also a balance that needs to be struck between brevity and clarity when writing, as replacing too many words with symbols definitely takes away from the clarity of the statement.
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– DMcMor
8 hours ago