I wish to display to people that a number is a total. I have decided to use the greek symbol for sum:
Σ
Do I prefix or suffix numbers with this symbol?
Given the total is 10.
Σ10
or
10Σ
Asked
Active
Viewed 1,122 times
1
-
10If you really want to use $\Sigma$ for this, maybe $\Sigma=10$. – André Nicolas May 14 '12 at 23:36
-
2Indeed, a mathematician would interpret $\Sigma10$ as adding up some number of tens, and $10\Sigma$ as ten times some sum. – Gerry Myerson May 14 '12 at 23:41
-
$\Sigma$ is generally used as an operator. Thus you might write $\sum_{i=1}^{3} a_i = 10$, which means that the sum of $a_i$ for $i$ from $1$ to $3$, i.e. $a_1 + a_2 + a_3$, is $10$. – Robert Israel May 14 '12 at 23:52
-
THank you all. I would accept @Andre's comment if it were an answer. – Valamas May 15 '12 at 00:04
1 Answers
2
If $S_n$ is some sequence (for $n=a, a+1, a+2, \cdots, b-1, b$), its sum (total), $T$, is: $$T=\sum_{n=a}^b S_n$$
which is simply another way of saying
$$T=S_a+S_{a+1}+\cdots + S_{b-1}+S_{b}$$
Note also that $$C \sum_{n=a}^b S_n=C(S_a+S_{a+1}+\cdots + S_{b-1}+S_{b})$$
Argon
- 25,303