Language and Symbols of Math

Language of Mathematics
Four Basic Concepts

Elementary Logic
Topic 2: Mathematical Language and Symbols
September 3, 2019
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Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic
Outline
1 Language of Mathematics
2 Four Basic Concepts
3 Elementary Logic
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Why use language
• Ordinary (English/Filipino) language of speech is used for

communication.
• Similarly, to understand math, we need to understand the
language of mathematics.
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Mathematical Language is:

• Precise (able to make very fine distinctions);
• Concise (able to say things briefly);
• Powerful (able to express complex thoughts with relative ease).
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Definition 1.1
The Fibonacci sequence, F1 , F2 , ..., is defined by the initial
conditions F1 = 1, F2 = 1, and the recurrence relation
Fn = Fn−1 + Fn−2 ,
for n ≥ 3.
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Analogies between English and mathematics
• Mathematical language also has ”nouns” (used to name

mathematical objects) and ”sentences” (which state complete
mathematical thoughts).
• In English, nouns are used to name things. Sentences are used
to state complete thoughts.
A typical English statement has at least one noun and at least one
verb.
Example: Joe is running.
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In Mathematics:
The analogue of ”noun” in math is ”expression.” So, a
mathematical expression is a name given to a mathematical object
under consideration. The mathematical analogue of English
sentence is also called a sentence.
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• A mathematical expression can have several ”names”.

Example: 5 can be referred to as 2+3, (6-2)+1, etc...
• In English, the analogue is synonyms.
Note that math sentences also has ”verbs.”
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• Truth is a property of being true or false. So, mathematical

sentences can be true or false.
EXERCISES.
I. Circle the verbs in the following sentences:
a) The capital of the Philippines is the City of Manila.
b) 3 + 4 = 7
c) 3 + 4 = 8
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II. TRUE or FALSE:

a) The capital of the Philippines is the City of Manila.
b) 3 + 4 = 7
c) 3 + 4 = 8
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Exercises (use THE LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS by Dr.

Carol JVF Burns)
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How to decide whether something is a sentence:

• Does it state a complete thought?
• Does it make sense to ask about the TRUTH about this object?
Example: Is 1 + 2 true or false?
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• To avoid ambiguity in Mathematics, Definitions are used. This

assured that everyone agrees on their meaning.
• A definition is a concise statement of the basic properties of an
object or concept which unambiguously identify that object or
concept. In order to be complete, a definition must describe
exactly the thing being defined nothing more, and nothing less.
• Since serious mathematics is usually communicated in the
definition-theorem-proof format, the first step in learning the
formal communication of mathematics is in learning definitions.
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GOOD DEFINITION: A rectangle is a quadrilateral all four of

whose angles are right angles.
POOR DEFINITION: A rectangle is a parallelogram in which the

diagonals have the same length and all the angles are right angles.
It can be inscribed in a circle and its area is given by the product
of two adjacent sides.
This is not CONCISE. It contains too much information, all of

which is correct but most of which is unnecessary.
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POOR DEFINITION: A rectangle is a parallelogram whose

diagonals have equal lengths.
This statement is true and concise, but the defining property is not
BASIC. This would work better as a theorem to be proved than as
a definition. In mathematics, assertions of this kind are regarded as
characterizations rather than as definitions.
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BAD DEFINITION: A rectangle is a quadrilateral with right angles.

This is AMBIGUOUS. With some right angles? With all right
angles? There are lots of quadrilaterals that have some right
angles but are not rectangles.
UNACCEPTABLE DEFINITION: Rectangle: has right angles
This is unacceptable because mathematics is written as English is

written in complete, grammatical sentences. Such abbreviations
frequently hide major misunderstandings as will be pointed out
below.
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Some guidelines for Definitions to have good form:

1. A definition MUST be written as a complete, grammatically
correct English sentence.
2. A definition MUST be an if and only if statement.
3. The quantifiers in a good definition MUST be explicitly and
clearly stated.
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Symbols and Notations:

Symbols/Notations Meaning
+ Positive, Plus, Addition
- Negative, Minus, Subtraction
× Multiplication, Times
÷ Division
= Equal
< less than
≤ less than or equal
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Symbols and Notations:

Symbols/Notations Meaning
P
sum of
∃ there exists
∀ for all, for every
∈ element of
⊂ subset, is contained in
∪ union
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In using symbols, some guidelines which mathematicians subscribe

to can be found in the book ”Mathematical Proofs: A Transition
to Advanced Mathematics” by Chartrand et al. pp. 7-8.
Examples:
1. Never start a sentence with a symbol.
Example: The equation x 2 = 4 has two roots.
...
7. Avoid using a symbol in the statement of a theorem when
it’s not needed.
...
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Sets, Functions, Relations, and Binary Operations
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Sets
A set is a collection of objects.
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Sets
Example:
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Sets
Example:
S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19}
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Sets
Example:
S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19}
T = {2, 4, 6, ...}
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Sets
Example:
S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19}
T = {2, 4, 6, ...}
U = {x : x is prime and x < 20}
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Sets
Example:
S = {2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19}
T = {2, 4, 6, ...}
U = {x : x is prime and x < 20}
We can say 7 ∈ U.
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Sets
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Sets
A set may be specified using the set-roster notation by writing

all of its elements between braces. Sets S and T are written
this way.
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Sets

this way.
A set may be specified by set-builder notation.
Let X be a set and let P (x) be a property that elements
of X may or may not satisfy. We may define the set of all
elements x ∈ X such that P (x) is true. We may define this
set as follows:
{x ∈ X : P (x)} .
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Sets

this way.
A set may be specified by set-builder notation.
Let X be a set and let P (x) be a property that elements
of X may or may not satisfy. We may define the set of all
elements x ∈ X such that P (x) is true. We may define this
set as follows:
{x ∈ X : P (x)} .
As in set U, our set X is the set of positive integers and
P (x) is the property that: x is prime and x < 20.
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Real Number System
R - set of all real numbers. Example: 1, 1/2, 0.7, π
Q - set of all rational numbers. Example: 0.777...,3/4, -5.1

√ √
Qc - set of all irrational numbers. Example: π, 2, 1 + 3
Z - set of all integers. Example: 0,1,-1,2,-2,...
N - set of all natural numbers. Example: 1,2,3,...
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Subsets
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Subsets
If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written

A ⊆ B, iff every element of A is also an element of B.
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Subsets

Let A and B be sets. Set A is a proper subset of B iff there
is at least one element of B that is not in A. We write A ⊂ B.
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Subsets

Example:
A = {a, b, c, d, e} , B = {a, b, c, d, e, f } , C = {a, b, c, d, e}
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Subsets

Example:
A = {a, b, c, d, e} , B = {a, b, c, d, e, f } , C = {a, b, c, d, e}
The following statements are correct:
A ⊂ B, A ⊆ C, C ⊆ A, A = B.
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Given elements a and b, the symbol (a, b) denotes the

ordered pair consisting of a and b together with the
specification that a is the first element of the pair and b is the
second element. Also, we say (a, b) = (c, d) iff a = c and
b = d.
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Given elements a and b, the symbol (a, b) denotes the

ordered pair consisting of a and b together with the
specification that a is the first element of the pair and b is the
second element. Also, we say (a, b) = (c, d) iff a = c and
b = d.
The Cartesian product A × B of two sets A and B is the set
consisting of all ordered pairs whose first coordinate belongs to
A and whose second coordinate belongs to B. In other words,
A × B = {(a, b) : a ∈ A and b ∈ B} .
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Relations
• Relations are structures on a set that pairs any two elements

that satisfy certain properties.
Examples:
5 is less than 7 or 5 < 7, here < is the relation.
2 + 5 = 7, the equal sign = is the relation.
The relation ”is an element of,” denoted by ∈, is another example.
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Relations
• Sometimes, relations are defined with reference to two sets A

and B.
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Relations

and B.
• A relation between two sets A and B is a set of ordered
pairs (a, b) where a ∈ A and b ∈ B. Thus, a relation is a subset of
the Cartesian product A × B.
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Relations

and B.
• A relation between two sets A and B is a set of ordered
pairs (a, b) where a ∈ A and b ∈ B. Thus, a relation is a subset of
the Cartesian product A × B.
• Given an ordered pair (x, y ) in A × B, the element x is related
to element y by R, written xRy , iff (x, y ) is in R. The set A is
called the domain of R and the set B is called its co-domain.
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Relations
Example:
Let A = {0, 1, 2} and B = {1, 2, 3} . Let us say that an
element x in A is related to an element y in B iff x < y . Let us use
the notation xR< y as a shorthand for the sentence ”x is related to
y .” Then,
0R< 1 since 0 < 1.
(a) A × B
(b) List all the elements in A × B that are related.
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Example 1 page 40
Let A = {1, 2} and B = {1, 2, 3} and define a relation R from A to

B as follows:
Given any (x, y ) ∈ A × B,
x −y
(x, y ) ∈ R means that ∈ Z.
2
(a) State explicitly which ordered pairs are in A × B and which are
in R.
(b) Is 1R3? 2R3? 2R2?
(c) What are the domain and co-domain of R?
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Functions
One of the most basic activities of mathematics is to take a

mathematical object and transform it into another one, sometimes
of the same kind and sometimes not.
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Functions

Example:
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Functions

Example:
(1) f (x) = −x transforms a number to its negative.
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Elementary Logic
Functions

Example:
(1) f (x) = −x transforms a number to its negative.
(2) f (x, y ) = x 2 + 2y transforms pairs of numbers into a single
number.
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Functions
• If f is a function, then the notation f (x) = y means that f

turns the object x into the object y .
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Functions

• To specify a function, therefore, one must be careful to specify
two sets as well: the domain, which is the set of objects to be
transformed, and the range, which is the set of objects they are
allowed to be transformed into.
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Functions

• To specify a function, therefore, one must be careful to specify
two sets as well: the domain, which is the set of objects to be
transformed, and the range, which is the set of objects they are
allowed to be transformed into.
• A function f from a set A to a set B is a rule that specifies, for
each element x of A, an element y = f (x) of B. Sometimes, the
notation f : A → B is used.
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The relation f is a function.
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The relation g is not a function.
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The relation F is not a function.
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Functions
• A relation F from A to B is a function iff:
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Functions

1. Every element of A is the first element of an ordered pair
of F .
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Functions

of F .
2. No two distinct ordered pairs in F have the same first
element.
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Functions

of F .
2. No two distinct ordered pairs in F have the same first
element.
• The set {f (x) : x ∈ A} of values actually taken by f is called
the image of f .
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Example 4 page 44
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Example 4 page 44
Let A = {2, 4, 6} and B = {1, 3, 5} . Which of the relations R and

S defined below are functions from A to B?
(a) R = {(2, 5) , (4, 1) , (4, 3) , (6, 5)}
(b) For all (x, y ) ∈ A × B, (x, y ) ∈ S means that y = x + 1.
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Example 4 page 44
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Example 4 page 44
Define f : R → R and g : R → R by the following formulas:

√
f (x) = |x| , ∀x ∈ R, and g (x) = x 2 , ∀x ∈ R.
Is f = g ?
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Binary Operations
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Elementary Logic
Binary Operations
• A binary operation on a set A is a function that takes pairs of

elements of A and produces further elements of A.
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Elementary Logic
Binary Operations

• It is a function with the set of all pairs (x, y ) of elements of A
as its domain and with A as its range.
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Elementary Logic
Binary Operations

• Examples: +, ×, the binary operation ”followed by” (in our
activity)
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Elementary Logic
Binary Operations

• Examples: +, ×, the binary operation ”followed by” (in our
activity)
• Some properties of binary operation ∗ that are useful:
commutative, associative, identity, inverse.
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Elementary Logic
Connectives
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Elementary Logic
Connectives
• A logical connective is the mathematical equivalent of a

conjunction. That is, it is a word (or symbol) that joins two
sentences to produce a new one.
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Elementary Logic
Connectives

Example:
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Elementary Logic
Connectives

Example:
∧ and
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Elementary Logic
Connectives

Example:
∧ and
∨ or
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Elementary Logic
Connectives

Example:
∧ and
∨ or
⇒ implies
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Elementary Logic
Quantifiers
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Elementary Logic
Quantifiers
• Words like ”all,” ”some,” ”any,” ”every,” ”for all,” ”there

exists,” and ”nothing” are called quantifiers.
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Quantifiers

• The symbols ∀ and ∃ are used to denote ”for all” and ”there
exists.
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Elementary Logic
Quantifiers

exists.
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Quantifiers

exists.
Example:
Let P be the set of all prime numbers.
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Elementary Logic
Quantifiers

exists.
Example:
Let P be the set of all prime numbers.
∀n ∈ N ∃m ∈ P such that m > n.
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Elementary Logic
Negation
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Elementary Logic
Negation
• The symbol ¬ is used to denote ”not,” and if P is any

mathematical statement, then ¬P stands for the statement that is
true if and only if P is not true.
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Elementary Logic
Negation

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Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic
Negation

Example:
Statement A: Every student in this class is female.
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Elementary Logic
Negation

Example:
Question: What is the negation of A?
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Elementary Logic
Negation

Example:
Answer:
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Elementary Logic
Negation

Example:
Answer:
Negation of A: There is at least one male student.
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Elementary Logic
Negation
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
• Let A = {k ∈ Z+ : k ≤ 100}.
• Statement P : ∀n ∈ A, n is odd.
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
• Let A = {k ∈ Z+ : k ≤ 100}.
• What is the negation of P?
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
• Let A = {k ∈ Z+ : k ≤ 100}.
• We write ¬P as:
¬ (∀n ∈ A, n is odd) .
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
• Let A = {k ∈ Z+ : k ≤ 100}.
¬ (∀n ∈ A, n is odd) .
This is equivalent to:
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Elementary Logic
Negation
Example:
• Let A = {k ∈ Z+ : k ≤ 100}.
¬ (∀n ∈ A, n is odd) .
This is equivalent to:
¬P : ∃n ∈ A, n is even.
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Elementary Logic
Variable
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Elementary Logic
Variable
A variable is any letter used to stand for a mathematical

object.
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
A variable can be used as a placeholder to talk about
something that has one or more values but we don’t know
what they are.
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
what they are.
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
what they are.
Example:
◦ Is there a number with the following property: doubling it
and adding 3 gives the same result as squaring it?
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
what they are.
Example:
◦ Rewriting and introducing a variable: Is there a number x
with the property that 2x + 3 = x 2 ?
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Variable

object.
what they are.
Example:
◦ Rewriting and introducing a variable: Is there a number x
with the property that 2x + 3 = x 2 ?
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Elementary Logic
Variable
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Elementary Logic
Variable
A variable can also be used to as a placeholder to talk about

something but you want whatever you say about it to be
equally true for all elements in a given set, and so you are not
restricted to a particular value for it.
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Variable

Example:
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Elementary Logic
Variable

Example:
◦ No matter what number might be chosen, if it is greater
than 2, then its square is greater than 4.
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Elementary Logic
Variable

Example:
◦ No matter what number might be chosen, if it is greater
than 2, then its square is greater than 4.
◦ Rewriting and introducing a variable: No matter what
number n might be chosen, if n > 2, then n2 > 4.
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
Are there numbers with the property that the sum of their
squares equals the square of their sum?
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
Are there numbers with the property that the sum of their
squares equals the square of their sum?
Given any real number, its square is nonnegative.
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Elementary Logic
Variable
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
A variable that denotes a specific object is called a free
variable. This is a variable that is ”free” to take any value.
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Elementary Logic
Variable

object.
A variable that denotes a specific object is called a free
variable. This is a variable that is ”free” to take any value.
A variable that does not denote a specific object is called a
bound variable (or dummy variable).
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Variable
Example:
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
m is prime if
∀a, b s.t. ab = m ⇒ (a = 1 ∨ b = 1) . (∗)
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Elementary Logic
Variable
Example:
m is prime if
∀a, b s.t. ab = m ⇒ (a = 1 ∨ b = 1) . (∗)
Notice that the sentence (*) does not really make sense unless we
already know what m is from the context, whereas it is important
that a and b do not have any prior meaning.
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Variable
Example:
m is prime if
∀a, b s.t. ab = m ⇒ (a = 1 ∨ b = 1) . (∗)
Also, while it makes perfect sense to ask, ”For which values of m is
sentence (*) true?” it makes no sense at all to ask, ”For which
values of a is sentence (*) true?”
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Variable
Example:
m is prime if
∀a, b s.t. ab = m ⇒ (a = 1 ∨ b = 1) . (∗)
Also, while it makes perfect sense to ask, ”For which values of m is
sentence (*) true?” it makes no sense at all to ask, ”For which
values of a is sentence (*) true?”
Here, m is a free variable while a and b are bound variables.
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Elementary Logic
Mathematical Statements
Three of the most important kinds of sentences in mathematics are

universal statements, conditional statements, and existential
statements.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
A universal statement says that a certian property is true for
all elements in a set.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
Example: All positive numbers are greater than zero.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
A conditional statement says that if one thing is true, then
some other thing also has to be true.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
Example: If 378 is divisible by 18, then 378 is divisible by 6.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
Given a property that may or may not be true, an existential
statement says that there is at least one thing for which the
property is true.
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Elementary Logic

statements.
Given a property that may or may not be true, an existential
statement says that there is at least one thing for which the
property is true.
Example: There is a prime number that is even.
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Elementary Logic
Universal Conditional Statements
A universal conditional statement is a statement that is both

universal and conditional.
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Elementary Logic
Universal Conditional Statements
A universal conditional statement is a statement that is both

universal and conditional.
Example: For all animal a, if a is a dog, then a is a mammal.
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Elementary Logic
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.
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Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic
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.
Example: Every real number has an additive inverse.
Topic 2 51 / 51
Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic
Existential Universal Statements
An existential universal statement is a statement that is

existential because its first part says 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.
Topic 2 52 / 51
Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic

Example: There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to
every positive integer.
Topic 2 52 / 51
Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic

Example: There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to
every positive integer.
Or
∃m ∈ Z+ s.t.∀n ∈ Z+ , m ≤ n.
Topic 2 52 / 51
Four Basic Concepts
Elementary Logic
References:
Aufmann, R. (2006). Mathematical Excursions. Houghton
Mifflin College Div.
Aufmann, R. et al. (2018). Mathematics in the Modern
World. Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.
Fisher, C.B. The Language of Mathematics (from One
Mathematical Cat, Please! by Carol Burns Fisher).
Gowers, T., Barrow-Green, J. and Leader, I. (2008). The
Princeton companion to mathematics. Princeton, N.J.:
Princeton University Press.
Topic 2 53 / 51

Language and Symbols of Math

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Language and Symbols of Math

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Language of Mathematics

Four Basic Concepts

Topic 2: Mathematical Language and Symbols

2 Four Basic Concepts

Why use language

• Ordinary (English/Filipino) language of speech is used for

Mathematical Language is:

Analogies between English and mathematics

• Mathematical language also has ”nouns” (used to name

• A mathematical expression can have several ”names”.

• Truth is a property of being true or false. So, mathematical

II. TRUE or FALSE:

Exercises (use THE LANGUAGE OF MATHEMATICS by Dr.

How to decide whether something is a sentence:

Example: Is 1 + 2 true or false?

• To avoid ambiguity in Mathematics, Definitions are used. This

GOOD DEFINITION: A rectangle is a quadrilateral all four of

POOR DEFINITION: A rectangle is a parallelogram in which the

This is not CONCISE. It contains too much information, all of

POOR DEFINITION: A rectangle is a parallelogram whose

BAD DEFINITION: A rectangle is a quadrilateral with right angles.

UNACCEPTABLE DEFINITION: Rectangle: has right angles

This is unacceptable because mathematics is written as English is

Some guidelines for Definitions to have good form:

Symbols and Notations:

Symbols and Notations:

In using symbols, some guidelines which mathematicians subscribe

Sets, Functions, Relations, and Binary Operations

A set is a collection of objects.

A set is a collection of objects.

A set is a collection of objects.

A set is a collection of objects.

A set is a collection of objects.

A set is a collection of objects.

A set may be specified using the set-roster notation by writing

A set may be specified using the set-roster notation by writing

A set may be specified using the set-roster notation by writing

Real Number System

R - set of all real numbers. Example: 1, 1/2, 0.7, π

Q - set of all rational numbers. Example: 0.777...,3/4, -5.1

Z - set of all integers. Example: 0,1,-1,2,-2,...

N - set of all natural numbers. Example: 1,2,3,...

If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written

If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written

If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written

If A and B are sets, then A is called a subset of B, written

Given elements a and b, the symbol (a, b) denotes the

Given elements a and b, the symbol (a, b) denotes the

• Relations are structures on a set that pairs any two elements

• Sometimes, relations are defined with reference to two sets A

• Sometimes, relations are defined with reference to two sets A

• Sometimes, relations are defined with reference to two sets A

Let A = {1, 2} and B = {1, 2, 3} and define a relation R from A to

One of the most basic activities of mathematics is to take a

One of the most basic activities of mathematics is to take a

One of the most basic activities of mathematics is to take a

One of the most basic activities of mathematics is to take a

• If f is a function, then the notation f (x) = y means that f

• If f is a function, then the notation f (x) = y means that f

• If f is a function, then the notation f (x) = y means that f

The relation f is a function.

The relation g is not a function.

The relation F is not a function.

• A relation F from A to B is a function iff: