Mathematics is full of symbols that can be intimidating to some people.
Have you ever wondered where these symbols come from? Why do we use certain letters, dots, arrows, and other squiggles to represent mathematical concepts?
In this post, we’ll explore the origins of math symbols and how they came to be.
The Equals Sign
In the 16th century, mathematician Robert Recorde wrote a book to teach algebra to English students.
He was tired of writing “is equal to” repeatedly, so he came up with a new symbol: two parallel horizontal line segments.
To him, nothing could be more equal than that. He could have used four-line components or vertical lines but did what he thought looked best.
Over time, more mathematicians adopted the symbol, and now it’s the standard symbol for equality.
Plus Signs, Letters, and Other Symbols
The plus sign for addition came from the Latin word et, meaning “and.”
Christian Kramp introduced the exclamation mark for factorials because he needed a shorthand.
Other symbols were invented or adopted to save time and words.
- Letters often represent unknown quantities, relationships between variables, or specific numbers that show up frequently.
- Symbols represent operations like multiplication, exponentiation, and addition to saving space and condense repeated operations into a single expression.
- Symbols can also provide instructions on how to perform calculations.
The Value of Symbols
With symbols, mathematical calculations would be a manageable mess. They shorten lengthy calculations into smaller terms that are easier to manipulate. Understanding symbols is like learning a language – it takes memorization and practice. Some characters communicate meaning through their form, while others are arbitrary.
What About Aliens?
If we encounter an alien civilization, they’d have symbols representing mathematical concepts. But if they think like us, they might have symbols corresponding to ours, such as multiplication, pi, and equals.
Final Thought
Math symbols have evolved to make mathematical calculations more efficient and concise. While some signs are rooted in meaning, others were adopted for convenience. But no matter how they came to be, understanding and using characters is essential to the language of mathematics.
To access relevant information, check out the following blogs:
- Kangaroo Math Blog for Mathematics
- Kancil Science Blog for Science
- Beaver Computational Thinking Blog for Computer Science
- Kijang Economy Blog for Economics.
