Referring to a mathematical element: to drop or not to drop the "the"

Question

As a non-native English speaker, this question about style comes back to me every time I'm writing a formal text.

Given a certain mathematical element, such as a matrix detoned by M. Which is the more correct way to refer to it:

"Note that matrix M is symmetric" or "Note that the matrix M is symmetric" ?

In this case use the "the" but there are other examples where such articles can be dropped — lux, Apr 18 '18 at 13:49
"Note that the matrix $M$ is symmetric", but on the other hand "Note that $M$ is symmetric". That is what sounds correct to me. — Arthur, Apr 18 '18 at 13:50
Im a native speaker and most people generally praise my writing skills. I for one, in mathematics, dont really see a difference and couldnt care less, really. — CogitoErgoCogitoSum, Apr 18 '18 at 14:05
Thanks. I'm aware that "Note (that) M is symmetric" is enough, but my question focuses on the use (or not) of the article "the". — Sofia, Apr 18 '18 at 14:42

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 18 '18 at 14:04

0

For clarity and correctness, most English speakers would prefer "Note that the matrix $M$ is symmetric" or "Note the matrix $M$ is symmetric" to "Note matrix $M$ is symmetric". This assumes you haven't introduced $M$ yet; if you have, "Note $M$ is symmetric" is fine.

answered Apr 18 '18 at 14:04

Mr. Chip

5,009

Thank you for your answer! It made me wonder if I should have been more explicit in the question, but you got my point correctly. In this case, I was referring to an element already defined and I wanted to recall its nature (e.g., matrix). – Sofia Apr 18 '18 at 14:38

Referring to a mathematical element: to drop or not to drop the "the"

1 Answers1