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This is a very simple question. I am almost embarrassed to ask, and I'm even a bit unsure whether this is the right place to post it.

I would like to know whether native right-to-left language speakers write mathematical equations left-to-right or right-to-left.

So for example, if you have $y = ax^2$, would you first write the square, then $x$, and so on, the same way I assume the natural language is written?

To be clear, here are things I am not asking:

  • Whether order of evaluation changes. (I assume it must not: otherwise semantics would be different for non-commutative algebras).
  • Whether the convention of left-hand-side and right-hand-side is different e.g. $ax^2 = y$
  • Whether this affects the way a person would interpret the expression, or go about solving an equation.

And at risk of stating the obvious, you can't discern this by looking at written mathematics (e.g. wiki pages in a right-to-left language).

Luciano
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    This belongs to Meta and not on this site as this question is not a mathematical question. – MrYouMath Sep 24 '17 at 09:27
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    @MrYouMath It clearly doesn't belong to Meta. Personally, I don't see why this cannot pass as a "notation" question. –  Sep 24 '17 at 09:36
  • It's a bit funny to see "right-to-left" in connection with "speakers". I think this is the wrong place for your question, but if you ask it someplace else, you could add a whole dimension to it after studying in more detail the existing writing directions. –  Sep 24 '17 at 09:37
  • @G.Sassatelli: You are right with meta but it is also not about notation but rather about how people from different cultures write mathematics. Don't know another site which would be better suited for this question. – MrYouMath Sep 24 '17 at 09:38
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    Some information can be found on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Arabic_mathematical_notation – md2perpe Sep 24 '17 at 11:30
  • This is interesting even in the special case of writing numbers. My understanding is that our decimal place notation, where 23 means 210+3 and not 310+2, is the way it is because in Arabic numbers are spoken as "three and twenty" so an Arab would naturally write a 3 first then a 2. Which Europe inherited. But when Arabs, I am told, speak printed telephone numbers out loud, they recite the digit string left to right! Can anyone who actually knows help out here? – kimchi lover Sep 24 '17 at 12:52
  • This image should answer your question (which I love, by the way). It appears the math is written left-to-right, but it appears in a right-to-left flow of linguistic units. Arabic is the example, and they write their numbers left-to-right, even when not using “Arabic” numerals, which are actually Hindi in origin.... – gen-ℤ ready to perish Sep 26 '17 at 13:15

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