At the end of the period, the students should be able to:
1.Discuss the language, symbols, and conventions of
mathematics; 2.Explain the nature of mathematics as a language Mathematics as a human language
• finding patterns • representing patterns • making assumptions - Galileo Galilei
“The laws of nature are written in the
language of mathematics.” Compare this!
1a + 1a = 2a VS 4,000,000+ 1,000,000 = 5,000,000 apple + 1 apple = 2 apples VS
2p + 3p = 5p 4 million + 1 million = 5 million
VS 2 pencils+3pencils =5 pencils Importance of Language
• To understand the expressed ideas
• To communicate ideas to others Characteristics of the Mathematics Language
• Precise (able to make very fine distinctions or
definitions) • Concise (able to say things briefly) • Powerful (able to express complex thoughts with relative ease) • Nontemporal (has no tense) • Vocabulary and parts of speech Parts of Speech
• numbers - nouns in English language
• operational symbols - connectives in English language • relation symbols - comparison and act as verbs in in English language • grouping symbols - associate groups of numbers and operators • variables - letters that represents quantities and act as pronouns in in English language Difficulties
• The word “is” could mean equality, inequality, or
membership in a set • Different use of a number (cardinal, ordinal, nominal, ratio) • Mathematical objects may be represented in many ways such as sets and functions. • The words “and” and “or” mean differently in mathematics from its English use. Mathematical sentence
• Must express a complete thought.
• A declarative sentence or statement that is either true or false but not both. Example
Determine if the following is a mathematical expression or a
mathematical sentence.
1. Y + 3x 2. 6 = 2x-5 3. 10 divided by 2 is 3. Set
• is a collection of objects which are called elements of the
set. 2 ways to represent the elements of the set.
1.Roster Method - lists of all the elements
Example: Set A is the set of counting numbers less than 5: A = { 1, 2, 3, 4} 2.Set Builder Notation - presents the elements by stating their common properties Example: Set B is a set of integers greater than 10 B = { x / x Ɛ Z and x> 10} Function
• f assigns each element of x set A to a unique element, y
of set B. In symbols, y = f(x)
A function can be described in the following ways:
• Verbally • Equation or formula • Diagram Which of the following is a function?
