Chapter II

MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE
AND SYMBOL
Topics
1.Mathematical Language
2.The Language of Sets
3.The Language of Relations and Functions
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
· Discuss the language, symbols, and conventions of Mathematics.
· Explain the nature of Mathematics as a language.
· Compare and contrast expression and sentences.
· Discuss the concept of sets.
· Represent sets using roster method and rule method.
· Differentiate roster method and rule method.
· Differentiate finite set and infinite set.
· Discuss different set terminologies.
· Solve problems involving sets.
· Discuss the concept of relations and functions.
· Identify the domain and range of relations.
· Identify relations which are functions and not functions.
· Represent relations and functions using mapping diagrams.
1. Mathematical Language

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For thousand years, mathematicians
had developed spoken and written
natural languages that are highly
effective for expressing mathematical
language. This mathematical language
has developed and provides a highly
efficient and powerful tool for
mathematical expression, exploration,
reconstruction after exploration, and
communication. 4
But the mathematical language is being used
poorly because of poor understanding of the
language. Notably, mathematics has its own
language, much of which we are already familiar
with e.g. the digits 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Whether we refer to 0 as "zero," or "nothing" we
understand its meaning. There are many symbols
in mathematics and most are used as a precise
form of shorthand. It is quite important that we
familiarize ourselves using these symbols and we
understand their meaning.
Mathematical language
The mathematical language is the
system used to communicate
mathematical ideas. This language
consists of some natural language
using technical terms
(mathematical terms) and
grammatical conventions that are
uncommon to mathematical
discourse, supplemented by a
highly specialized symbolic notation
for mathematical formulas.
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CHARACTERISTICS OF MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE
CHARACTERISTICS OF MATHEMATICAL LANGUAGE
Mathematical expression
An expression (or mathematical
expression) is a finite combination of
symbols that is well defined according
to rules that depend on the context.
The symbols can designate numbers,
variables, operations, functions,
brackets, punctuations, and groupings
to help determine order or operations,
and other aspects of mathematical
syntax. used to represent the object of
interest, it does not contain a complete
thought, and it cannot be determined if
it is true or false. Some types of
expressions are numbers, sets, and
functions.
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 EXAMPLES OF
MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS

• 1000 •a+b
• 5x • 58 – 7n
• 8x + 10 • 18h – 27f
• 99 • 67c – 33b
• 2 (18 + y) • X2 + 3x - 4
Mathematical sentence

On the other hand, a sentence (or

mathematical sentence) makes a
statement about two expressions,
either using numbers, variables, or a
combination of both. A mathematical
sentence can also use symbols or words
like equals, greater than, or less than. A
mathematical sentence is a correct
arrangement of mathematical symbols
that states a complete thought and can
be determined whether it's true, false,
sometimes true/sometimes false.
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 EXAMPLES OF
MATHEMATICAL SENTENCE

• 1000 > 500 • a + b = a – 7b – 2

• 10x + 5 = 25 • 58 – 7n = 19
• 4x + 10 = 50 • 3e – 2b = e – 6b + 2
• 100y < 2 (20y) • 100g < 3 (33g)
• 2 (18 + y) = 4 • X2 + 2x = 9
 2
The Language of
Sets

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 Set theory is the branch
The Language of Sets of Mathematics that
studies sets or the
Forget everything you know mathematical science of
about numbers. In fact, forget the infinite. The study of
you even know what a number is. sets has become a
This is where Mathematics starts. fundamental theory in
Instead of math with numbers,
we will now think about math with Mathematics in 1870s
“things” which was introduced by
Georg Cantor (1845-
1918), a German
mathematician.

What is a set? Well, simply put, it’s a collection. A set is a well-defined

collection of objects; the objects are called the elements or members of
the set.
Set Notation

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EXAMPLES OF SETS

• A = {x ꟾ x is a positive integer less than 10}

• B = {-1,-2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7}
• C = {x ꟾ 10 < x < 20}
• D = The set of letters in the word dirt.
• E = {x ꟾ x is a set of consonant letter in the English
alphabet}
Set can be represented in any one of the following
ways or forms. One way is to give a verbal description
of its elements. This is known as the Descriptive form
of specification. Another is Roster method. This is
when the elements of the set are enumerated and
separated by a comma. It is also called Tabulation
method. Lastly, is the Rule method which describes
the elements or members of the set. It is also called
Set builder notation.
In the rule method or set builder notation ‘ꟾ ’ is read
as “such that”.
Example 1
A= {x ꟾ 10 < x < 20}

We read it as
“A is the set of all x such that x is a greater than 10 but
less than 20”

Example 2
B= { x ꟾ x is a vowel in English alphabet}

“B is the set of all x such that x is a vowel in the

English Alphabet”
RECITATION
Direction: Given below are some sets. Your task is to identify
whether the given set is written in descriptive form, in roster
method or in rule method.

• A = {x ꟾ x is a positive integer less than 10}

• B = {-1,-2, -3, -4, -5, -6, -7}
• C = {x ꟾ 10 < x < 20}
• D = The set of letters in the word dirt.
• E = {x ꟾ x is a set of consonant letter in the English
alphabet}
RECITATION
Use the roster method to write each of the given sets.
a. The set of natural numbers less than 5
b. The solution set of
c. The set of negative integers greater than –4
Solution:
a. The set of natural numbers is given by
{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, ...}. The natural numbers less than 5
are 1, 2, 3, and 4. Using the roster method, we write this
set as {1, 2, 3, 4}
RECITATION
b. Adding –5 to each side of the equation produces x = –6
c. The set of negative integers greater than –4 is
{–3, –2, –1}.
let’s use S to represent the set consisting of the four seasons.
Using the roster method, we would write?
S = {winter, spring, summer, fall,}
The order in which the elements of a set are listed is not
important. Thus the set consisting of the four seasons can
also be written as
S = {winter, spring, fall, summer}
RECITATION
Use the roster method to represent the set of the days in a
week.

Write a word description for the set

Solution:
Set A is the set of letters of the English alphabet.
Finite set
is a set whose elements are limited or countable, and the last
element can be identified. On the contrary, an infinite set is a
set whose elements are unlimited or uncountable, and the last
element cannot be specified.
A unit set is a set with only one element. It is also called
singleton.
On contrary, a null set is a set with no elements. It is
also called an empty set and is denoted by the symbol
The cardinal number of a set is the number of elements
or members in the set.
If A and B are sets, A is called subset of B, written as
A B, if and only if, every element of A is also an
element of B.
If A and B are sets, A is a proper subset of B, written as
A B, if and only if, every element of A is in B but
there is at least one element of B that is not in A.
If A and B are sets, A equals B, written A = B, if and only
if every element of A is in B and every element of B is in
A.
Power set is the collection of all subsets of a given set.
It is denoted by
The union of A and B, denoted by A B, is the set of all
elements x in U such that x is in A or x is in B.

Elements with the same identity in Set A and B is can be

written once in AUB. So, we need not to write two 3’s in AUB.
The intersection of A and B, denoted by A B, is the set
of all elements x in U such that x is in A and x is in B.

Two sets are called disjoint (or non-intersecting) if and only if,
they have no elements in common. In symbol, A B =
The Cartesian product of sets A and B, written as A x B.
Given sets A and B, the Cartesian product of A and B,
denoted A x B and read “A cross B” is the set of all
ordered pairs (a,b), where a is in A and b is in B.
 TO BE
CONTINUE
Thanks
SHERWIN C. SANGALANG