Mathematics Stack Exchange
Mathematics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [terminology]

Questions on the usage and meaning of words in mathematics, the names for mathematical entities, and other such questions.

Terminology is a discipline that studies, among other things, the development of terms and their interrelationships. This tag is intended to be used for questions on the usage and meaning of words in mathematics, the names for mathematical entities, and other such questions.

8534 questions
5
votes
2 answers

How do even and odd functions relate to even and odd numbers?

How do the notions of oddness and evenness apply to both functions and numbers? If Even and Odd functions share nothing in common with Even and Odd numbers, then why were Even and Odd adopted for functions? Why not use other adjectives? James…
user851668
5
votes
5 answers

Meaning of "for sufficiently large" in infinite products

The book I'm reading states that any positive integer $a$ greater than 1 can be expressed as a product of primes, $$a=\prod_p{p^{\alpha{(p)}}}$$ where $\alpha{(p)}$ is a non-negative integer. And that it is understood for sufficiently large primes…
MathMice
  • 85
5
votes
1 answer

What is the etymology of 'sinc function'?

The title says it all. I'm curious what the origin/etymology of the name 'sinc function' (pronounced 'sink') comes from. Presumably its a modification of 'sin'. $\textrm{sinc}(x) \equiv \frac{ sin(x) }{x} $
DilithiumMatrix
  • 796
5
votes
1 answer

What's the general terminology for the zero property of multiplication

In multiplication, x • 1 = x. We say that 1 is the identity element for multiplication. In addition, 0 is the identity element, because x + 0 = x. In conjunctions, true is the identity element, because x and true = x. In disjunctions, false is the…
Ben Hocking
  • 253
5
votes
2 answers

What does "y depends weakly on x" mean?

I have come across this phrase often, and a quick Google search indicates that it is common: $ y $ depends weakly on $ x $. I understand what a dependency is. If $ y $ depends on $ x $, that means it is possible to deduce $ y $ from $ x $, given…
Flimm
  • 173
5
votes
2 answers

Is "first member" or "second member" proper mathematical English to refer to the LHS or RHS of an equation?

Is "first member" or "second member" proper modern mathematical English to refer to the left-hand side (LHS) or right-hand side (RHS) of an equation, respectively?
Geremia
  • 2,405
5
votes
1 answer

Is "module" over a ring historically related to "modular" arithmetic?

Was the term "module" in module over a ring originally chosen because of a relation to modular arithmetic? Secondly, what is the etymology of the term "modular" in modular arithmetic? Does it have anything to do with "modular" in the sense of…
user56834
  • 12,925
5
votes
1 answer

Correct term in english to call the symbols: "=" / "≥" / "≤"

I'm not speak English very well, and I have a question about how I can call the symbols = / ≥ / ≤. To describe them with a word in Portuguese, we use sinal (signal). Which is the correct term in English? I want a single word to describe all three…
FabianoLothor
  • 155
5
votes
0 answers

Meaning of the terms operation, function and map

What are the exact meanings of the terms "operation", "function" and "map" (are they even exactly defined)? I have always believed that an "operation" was a map $$S \times S \times \cdots \times S \rightarrow S.$$ However, according to the…
haroba
  • 1,155
5
votes
1 answer

What does Timothy Gowers mean by 'semantics' and 'syntax' in math?

Source: How should logarithms be taught? All bolds are mine. Those who criticized this view tended to think that I was advocating pure rote learning rather than understanding. Actually, I was suggesting that a true understanding of a sophisticated…
user53259
5
votes
3 answers

Is there a special name for the operands of a multiplication?

Sometimes operands for a specific operation are given a special name. For example, in division the first operand is a quotient, the second is a divisor. Is there a word that means "one of the operands in a scalar multiplication"? (I'm trying to…
Superbest
  • 3,400
5
votes
1 answer

What is the difference between counting and measuring?

Are counting and measurement the same thing? I think that they are different since in my mind the idea of counting pertains to discrete objects while the idea of measurement pertains to continuous objects. I also think of counting as something which…
MrAP
  • 3,003
5
votes
2 answers

Is there a name for $n^n$?

As functions of $n$, $n^c$ is called power, and $e^n$ is called exponential. Is there a name for $n^n$ as a function of $n$? Thanks! Added: consider the context of complexity of algorithms. Also is $n^n$ an elementary function?
Tim
  • 47,382
5
votes
2 answers

English word for a "pavé" in French

In French, a subset $P \subseteq \mathbb R^n$ that can be written as the product of $n$ finite open intervals is called a "pavé". Is there a word in English to designate such an object?
mathcounterexamples.net
  • 70,018
5
votes
1 answer

"Without restriction of generality" same as WLOG?

Does the term "without restriction of generality" mean the same as "without loss of generality"? EDIT: I encountered the phrase in this paper (PDF).
PeteUK
  • 1,570
1 2 3
…
49 50