Mathematics Stack Exchange
Mathematics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [notation]

Questions on the meaning, history, and usage of mathematical symbols and notation. Please remember to mention where (book, paper, webpage, etc.) you encountered any mathematical notation you are asking about.

Before asking a question on the site, please check if you can find your answer in Earliest Uses of Various Mathematical Symbols or the book A History of Mathematical Notations.

Alternatively, a textbook or paper usually takes the time to explain the notation they're using; please remember to mention where you've seen the notation you are asking about.

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Conventional letters to use for errors

I have already defined a group of errors of different types: $\omega_a, \omega_b, \ldots, \omega_z$ As well as another group of errors of various types: $\Omega_A, \Omega_B, \ldots, \Omega_Z$. Now I am looking for symbols or letters to represent any…
SoftTimur
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When are square and curved brackets interchangeable?

Is it ever acceptable to interchange square and curved brackets? E.g. are the following both acceptable (and identical)? $$x = t(a + [b + c])$$ $$x = t(a+(b+c))$$
jsj
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The difference between a / and ÷ use

I'm confused with the $/$ symbol meaning the same as $÷$ $4+2(8-3)÷2-1$ should equal $8$ using PEMDAS. However if using the Wikipedia's definition of the slash "Used between numbers slash means division, and in this sense the symbol may be read…
Aldo
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Probability, mathematical symbol

Good day, Would like to ask about the meaning of ^ in P(S^B) as shown in the image below. Thanks for your help!! Regards, Math noob
Vincent Benedict Victor
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Summation notation with multiple subscripts

I am not sure how exactly to interpret this kind of notation. I understand the second one to read sum of over $k$ of $\gamma_{k,j}$ is equal to zero. Is that the same…
snoram
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Big Omega Notation Proof

Can someone show me how to start this off? I need to prove it, but I'm not sure how I would prove Big Omega. Prove that $f(n)=\sum_{i=1}^ni^k\in\Omega(n^{k+1})$. Thank you for the help!
user41580
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Clear notations when working with random variables

I have a set of random variables $X_1,X_2,...,X_n$ each variable $X_i$ has a set of possible values $\Omega_{X_i}$ and a function associated with it $f(X_i)$. An assignment $\bf x$ for a subset of variables $\bf X$ is a mapping from each variable…
seteropere
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Expressing how many of $a,b,c$ can be zero

My scenario is that I need to express with mathematical syntax the following condition: There are three integers: ${a, b}$ and ${c}$. Case 1: two of the three can be zero. Case 2: only one can be zero. Case 3: none can be zero. The last condition…
Sturm
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Is this notation correct?

I am writing a paper and I have an expression something like this: $$\begin{equation} \notag x = \text{large_expression} + \begin{cases} y & \text{if } a
orlp
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Symbol for "if any"

I am looking for a symbol if any for the following equation in my algorithm This is to find closed pattern where $p_i$ is longer than $p$ and $p$ is a sub-pattern of $p_i$ and $support(p) = support(p_i)$ so can I say if $\forall \; p \subset p_i$ …
drhanlau
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understanding 'p∈ (n, succ)'

I understand that this may be a stupid question to some, but I've come to my wit's end trying to understand this condition: if p ∈ (n, succ) then I keep running across this in some pseudo code that I've been reading for the past 16 hours. I…
user100413
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Nested log notation

As a complement to this question: What's the correct notation for log squared? What is the correct notation for $\log (\log \log ( ... \log((n))))$? By analogy, with the $n$th derivative of $f(x)$, one could write $f^{(n)}(x)$ so that it can't be…
rsegal
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An expression which has $10$ different meanings by using some brackets appropriately

My friend taught me the followings without his memory of the answer: He said that it is known that there exists an numerical expression which satisfies the following two conditions : Condition 1 : The expression is represented only by "$x, y, 0,…
mathlove
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What are these "div-by-0-supporting product of elements in set"-beasts known as?

I remember asking about this in some Norwegian Usenet group many many years back, and as I recall (although I may be just imagining it) a mathematician at the University of Oslo gave me a good summary. But I have forgotten it all! Background: during…
Alf P. Steinbach
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Notation For $\sup\mathbb{R}$

I understand that $\mathbb{R}$ has no supremum, because the real numbers go on forever. My question is that if I was to write $\sup\mathbb{R}$, would I say it doesn't exist or would I say that $\sup\mathbb{R}=\infty$? It seems more likely that it…
Sujaan Kunalan
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