SPEAKING

MATHEMATICALL
Y
Language of Mathematics
◦A system used by mathematicians to communicate
mathematical ideas among themselves. This language consists
of a substrate of some natural language using technical terms
and grammatical conventions that are peculiar to mathematical
discourse supplemented by a highly specialized symbolic
notation for mathematical formulas.
◦Language of mathematics makes it easy to express the kinds
of symbols, syntax and rules that mathematician like to do.
Expression/ Mathematical Expression

Expression is a finite combination of symbols that is well-formed

according to rules that depend on the context. Mathematical symbols
can designate numbers, variables, operations, functions, brackets,
punctuation, and grouping to help determine order of operations, and
other aspects of logical syntax.

Examples:
5 2+9 8/2 ( 6 x 9 )+5
Mathematical Sentence

Mathematical Sentence is the analogue of

an English sentence. It is a correct
arrangement of mathematical symbols that
states complete thought. Sentences have
verbs. In the mathematical sentence ‘ 5+4=
9’ the verb is ‘=’.
Mathematical Convention

A mathematical convention is a fact, name,

notation, or usage which is generally agreed
upon by mathematicians. For instance, the fact
that one evaluates multiplication before addition
in the expression. is merely conventional: there
is nothing inherently significant about the order of
operations.
The following symbols are commonly used in
the order of operations:
SYMBOL MEANING

+ Add
- Subtract
x Multiply
÷ Divide
/ Divide
π pi
∞ Infinity
= Equals
≈ Approximately Equal to
≠ Not equal to

<, ≤ Less than, less than or equal to

>, ≥ Greater than, greater than or equal to

√ Square Root/ radical

Variables
Variables are usually letters or other symbols that represent unknown numbers or
values.

Example of Variable
The following are examples of algebraic expressions and equations containing
variables.

a. 2x + 5 = 10 , the variable here is x

b. 7y + 10 = 24, the variable here is y
c. , the variables here are a and b
Writing Sentences Using Variables

Use variables to rewrite the following sentences

more formally.
a.Are there numbers with the property that the sum
of their squares equals the square of their sum?
b.Given any real number, its square is non negative.
 Mathematical Statements

◦
UNIVERSAL CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS

A Universal statement contains some variation of the words “for all” and
conditional statements contain versions of the words “if-then”.

Example of Universal statement:

◦ All positive numbers are greater than zero.
◦ Example of Conditional statement:
◦ If 378 is divisible by 18, then 378 is divisible by 6.
 A universal conditional statement is a statement that is both universal and conditional.
Example of universal conditional statement:
◦ For all animals a, if a is a dog, then a is a mammal.
One of the most important facts about universal conditional statements is that they
can be written in ways that make them appear to be purely universal or purely
conditional. For example, the previous statement can be written ina way that makes it
conditional nature explicit but its universal nature implicit:
◦ If a is a dog, then a is a mammal.
◦ Or: If an animal is a dog, then the animal is a mammal.
◦ The statement can also be expressed so as to make it universal nature explicit and
its conditional nature implicit:
◦ For all dogs a, a is a mammal.
◦ Or: All dogs are mammals.
 REWRITING A UNIVERSAL
CONDITIONAL STATEMENT
Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following Statement:
For all real numbers x, if x is nonzero then is positive.

1. If a real numbers is nonzero, then its square _______ .

2. For all nonzero real numbers x, _______ .
3. If x _______ , then _______ .
4. The square of any nonzero real number is _______ .
5. All nonzero real numbers have _______ .
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

In this statement the property “has an additive inverse” applies
universally to all real numbers. “Has an additive inverse”
asserts the existence of something – an additive inverse --- for
each real number.

Or: For all real numbers have additive inverse for r.

Or: For all real numbers r, there is a real number s such that s
is an additive inverse for r.
REWRITING A UNIVERSAL EXISTENTIAL
STATEMENT
Example:
Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement:
Every pot has a lid.

1. All pots ______ .

2. For all pots P, there is ______ .
3. For all pots P, there is a lid L such that ______ .
EXISTENTIAL UNIVERSAL STATEMENTS

An existential universal statement is a statement that is existential because its first

part asserts 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.

Example:
There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to every positive integer.

This statement is true because the number one is positive integer, and it satisfies the
property of being less than or equal to every positive integer. We can rewrite the
statement in several ways, some less formal and some more formal:
Some positive integer is less than or equal to every
positive integer.
Or: There is a positive integer m that is less than or equal
to every positive integer.
Or: There is a positive integer m such that every positive
integer is greater than or equal to m.
Or: There is a positive integer with the property that for all
positive integers n, m n.
REWRITING AN EXISTENTIAL
UNIVERSAL STATEMENT
Example:

There is a person in my class who is at least as old as every person in

my class.

1. Some ______ is at least as ______

2. There is a person p in my class such that p is ______ .
3. There is a person p in my class with the property that for every person q in
my class, p is ______ .
Order of Operations

In simplifying mathematical expressions, the following order

of operations is one critical point to observe. Order of
operations is the hierarchy of mathematical operations. It is
the set of rules that determines which operation should be
done before or after others. Before, we used to have MDAS,
that stands for Multiplication, Division, Addition and
Subtraction. But now, most specific calculators follow
PEMDAS that stands for Parenthesis, Exponent,
Multiplication, Division, Addition and Subtraction
 The order of operations is merely a set of rules that prioritize the
sequence of operations starting from the most important to the least
important

Steps in applying PEMDAS

1. Do as much as you can to simplify everything inside the parenthesis

first
2. Simplify every exponential number in the expression
3. Multiply and Divide whichever comes first, from left to right
◦ Add and Subtract whichever comes first, from left to right
Example
◦ :

1. Evaluate (11-5) x 2 - 3 +1
The Language of Sets

SET

A set Is a well-defined collection of objects, called the

“elements” or “members” of the set.
 A specific set can be defined in two ways-
1.If there are only a few elements, they can be
listed individually, by writing them curly braces
{ } and placing commas in between.
◦Example: { 1, 2, 3, 4 }
•The second way of writing set is to use a property that
defines elements of the set.
Example: { x / x is odd and 0 <x <100.
•If x is an element of set A , it can be written as “x ∈A"

If x is not an element of A, it can be written as “ x ∈A“

The symbol ….. is called ellipsis and read as “and so
forth”.
A. USING THE SET- ROSTER NOTATION
◦
◦ A roster notation is the listing the elements of a set inside a pair of braces { }.
◦
◦ Example 1
◦
a. Let A be the set of even natural number less than 1.
b. A= { x : x is an integer and -1
◦
◦
 ◦Example 2

a. Let A = { 1, 2, 3 } , B = { 3, 1, 2 }, C = { 1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 3 }. What are the elements of A, B, and C?

How are A, B, and C related?
b. Is { 0 } = 0?
c. How many elements are in the set { 1, { 1 } } ?

◦ For each nonnegative integer n, let U = let U = { n, -n } . Find U , U ,and U

A. SET- BUILDER NOTATION
◦
◦ Let S denote a set and let P (x) be a property that elements of S may or may not satisfy. We
may define a new set to be he set of all elements x in S such that P(x) is true. We denote this
set as follows:
◦ { x S / P (X) }
◦
◦ Example 1
◦
a. X = ( Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday}
 ◦Example 2

◦ Given that R denotes the set of all real numbers, Z the set of all integers, and Z ^+ the set of
all positive integers, describe each of the following sets.

a. { x R / -2
b. { x Z / -2
c. { x Z^+ / -2
A. SUBSETS
◦
◦ A is said to be a subset of B, and we write A , if and only if every element of A is also an
element of B.
◦
◦ Example
◦ A = { a, b, c}
◦ The set has eight subsets namely: , {a}, {b}, {c}, {a, b}, {a, c} , {b, c}, and { a, b, c}
 ◦ PROPER SUBSET
◦
◦ A proper subset is a special type of subset. There are two requirements for set A to be a proper
subset of set B. They are:
1. A is a subset of B, i.e., A A and
2. A is not equal to B, i.e., A B.

◦ Example

◦ The set {a, b, c } has 7 proper subsets. They are: : , {a}, {b}, {c}, {a,b}, and {b, c}

◦ Note that {a, b, c} is not a proper subset of {a, b, c}. Also, note that there is always one less
proper subset than there are subsets of a set since a set cannot be a proper subset of itself.
A. DISTINCTION BETWEEN AND
◦
◦ Example
◦ Which of the following are true statements?
◦
a. 2 {1, 2, 3}
b. {2} {1, 2, 3}
c. 2 {1, 2, 3}
d. {2} {1,2, 3}
e. {2} { {1}, {2} }
f. {2} { {1}, {2} }
A. ORDERED PAIR
◦
◦ 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. Two ordered pair )a, b) and (c, d) are equal if, and only if, a = c and b= d.
Symbolically:
◦
◦ (a,b) = (c, d) means that a = c and b = d.
 ◦ Example
◦
a. Is (1, 2) = (2, 1) ?
b. Is (3, = ( ?
c. What is the first element of (1,1) ?
A. CARTESIAN PRODUCT
◦
◦ Given sets A and B, the Caretsian 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.
◦
◦ Symbolically:
◦ A x b = {(a,b) / a A and b
 ◦ Example
◦
◦ Let A = { 1, 2, 3 } and B = {u, v} .
◦
a. Find A X B.
b. Find B x A.
c. Find B x B.
d. How many elements are in A x B , B x A , and B x B?
e. Let R denote the set of all real numbers. Describe R x R.