This tag is for questions about the usage and meaning of mathematical terminology and the names for mathematical entities in English.
96
votes
12answers
6k views
What do you call a disk with a hole in the middle?
Compact Discs, washers and Aerobie frisbees are all disks with a hole in the middle. Is there a word (either mathematical or not) to describe this shape? I mean the specific case of a round hole in a ...
69
votes
25answers
5k views
How to read “E = (mc)²” so as not to mistake for “E = mc²”
According to one of the questions already asked on EL&U, “E = mc²” is read as
E equals M C squared.
How do we read “E = (mc)²” so that it is not mistaken for “E = mc²”?
45
votes
8answers
4k views
Is -1 singular or plural?
Do we say "-1 thing" or "-1 things"?
Edit: I am interested in both of these cases: "two things minus one thing(s)" and the quantity "minus/negative one thing(s)."
Bounty: While there are some good ...
28
votes
6answers
11k views
Use of “I”, “we” and the passive voice in a scientific thesis [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Style Question: Use of “we” vs. “I” vs. passive voice in a dissertation
When the first person voice is used in scientific writing it is mostly ...
25
votes
7answers
4k views
X, Y, Z — horizontal, vertical and …?
When working in a 2D coordinate system you could say that X is the horizontal axis and Y is the vertical axis.
Extending this to 3D, is there a similar word for the Z axis?
(I'm aware of Width, ...
21
votes
1answer
994 views
What's the name of this letter? [closed]
I came upon this letter when reading a book, I couldn't find its name on the internet, you can imagine how hard it is to search about it.
What is the name of the letter that follows "sample space"?
...
20
votes
7answers
989 views
(k+1)th or (k+1)st?
Mathematicians commonly have to form ordinals from variables: you might look at the kth element of a sequence, for example. When the variable is a single letter, the ordinal is always formed with the ...
19
votes
5answers
979 views
Is “iff” considered a real word or just an abbreviation?
I wonder if "iff" is considered a real word (as LEO says) or is it just an abbreviation (as in Wiktionary)?
18
votes
4answers
1k views
Transform or transformation?
Is there a difference between the words transform (noun) and transformation?
Let me describe my problem. I have a mathematical model which I can transform into a better model with help of a data ...
17
votes
4answers
969 views
What is the term for an integer one larger than a given integer?
I'm looking for a concise term to say a number must be exactly one higher than a previous number.
None of "subsequent", "incremental", or "next" seem to convey the restriction that it must be ...
17
votes
4answers
1k views
How is a' in mathematics pronounced?
It often happens that two or more similar values are distinguished with the ' symbol, e.g. a, a', a'' and similar. How is this pronounced?
14
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a shorter term for “divided by” in American English?
Given the following expression:
5 (+-×÷%) 4
You would say "5 plus 4," "5 minus 4," "5 times 4," "5 divided by 4," and "5 mod(ulo) 4" respectively.
As far as I know, "divided by" does not have ...
14
votes
9answers
2k views
Why do we say “lowest common denominator” when we mean “greatest common divisor”?
For example, we could say HTML is the lowest common denominator on the web", because one can be sure all web browsers are able to render HTML (but not Flash or Java). If I want my web page to show ...
13
votes
1answer
2k views
Trapezium/trapezoid — why are the US/UK definitions swapped around?
These are the US definitions...
Trapezoid — a 4-sided flat shape with straight sides that has a pair of opposite sides parallel.
Trapezium — a 4-sided flat shape with straight sides and NO parallel ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Where does the word “totient” come from?
In math we learn about the "totient function". It rhymes with "quotient" when math teachers pronounce it.
But I cannot find the definition or etymology of this word in any dictionary, nor on any ...
11
votes
5answers
4k views
Does “either A or B ” preclude “both A and B”?
In mathematics, "A or B" includes "A and B".
Does "either" mean "A or B but not (A and B)" or does it include the possibility of "A and B"?
The context might be mathematics, formal logic or ordinary ...
11
votes
5answers
3k views
Difference between “computation” and “calculation”
If the words computation and calculation are not perfect synonyms what is the difference between them? Which one describes more accurately what is done by a person computing or calculating something ...
10
votes
3answers
1k views
What reasoning is behind the names of the trigonometric functions “sine”, “secant” and “tangent”?
The meanings of these words are very similar: the sine of an angle in a right triangle is the ratio of the opposite side to the hypotenuse; the secant is the ratio of the hypotenuse to the adjacent ...
9
votes
4answers
2k views
How to read exponential expressions, e.g., “2^16”?
How do you say the mathematical function in English:
x^y (or xy)
For example, how do you say
2^16 (or 216)
I know ^ means 'power' or 'exponentiate', but that is the name of the ...
9
votes
2answers
5k views
Should I use the singular or plural verb in mathematical formulae (“Two and two make/makes four”)?
I remember somebody correcting me once when I said, "Two and two makes four", since the conjunction and would imply the use of a plural verb. They would prefer I said:
Two and two make four.
...
8
votes
3answers
10k views
Are there any differences between “oval” and “ellipse”?
Are there any differences between "oval" and "ellipse"?
8
votes
4answers
1k views
How can I form a word like “quadruple” for any number I want?
I'm not sure what these are called, but how can I form a word like "quadruple" for any number I want? Like 5× as much is quintuple, what is 31× as much or 147× as much? I want to know how they are ...
8
votes
5answers
790 views
Is there a word for a class of circular shapes?
I'm not sure if this belongs here, but I'm wondering if there is a word for a class of circular shapes?
Thinking about this hierarchically:
* Shape
* Polygon
* Square
* Rectangle
* ...
8
votes
4answers
228 views
What is an adjective for a very large negative number?
A number that is very large (but not infinite) such as 1,000,000,000,000,000 could be called huge, enormous, large, big, gigantic, etc.
A number that is very small such as 0.000000001 could be called ...
8
votes
2answers
596 views
What is the derivation of the statistical term “Histogram”?
There are conflicting definitions of origin. Unclear as to whether it is derived directly from the Greek, coined by Pearson, or used and named prior to Pearson.
Refer to "The History of Histograms - ...
7
votes
4answers
428 views
Pronunciation of the big-O notation
How should I pronounce the following things? (These are complexities of algorithms.)
O(n)
O(n*log(n))
O(n^2)
7
votes
7answers
883 views
How can I describe a “one or more” condition (one that has many options; a “non-boolean”)?
Generally speaking a boolean condition is understood to be an "either/or" relationship; for example, something is hot or cold.
What's do you call a "one or more" condition, e.g. something that can ...
6
votes
4answers
821 views
How to pronounce “nₒ” properly
People here (Hong Kong) like to pronounce n0 ("n subscript zero") as "N-nor"; "N-zero" seems to be acceptable. I am wondering what's the most popular pronunciation in English.
I am actually a little ...
6
votes
3answers
489 views
When do we use “suppose” and when “let”?
As a matter of fact, these two words are used a lot in mathematical contexts. Often, we use them interchangeably; but I do realize that that might not be correct. What should I do about this matter? ...
6
votes
2answers
354 views
Etymology of “magma” in abstract algebra
Magma is one of those beautiful words of Greek origin (μάγμα) that arouses the child and the wild in me, making me think of volcanoes. I just found out, though, that it is also used in mathematics to ...
6
votes
2answers
151 views
word for bringing a number to its absolute value
In mathematics, the absolute value of a number n is either −n if n is negative or n itself if otherwise.
Is there a single word or shorter description for the replacement of n with its absolute ...
6
votes
1answer
129 views
“Commutivity” or “commutativity”
I see commutivity used in contexts where the meaning appears to be the same as commutativity. Here are an example from physics and another example.
Is commutivity incorrect? Does it differ from ...
5
votes
5answers
411 views
“Let's/We let A be a variable”
Suppose I am giving a math talk and I am going to write on the board Let A be a variable. What do I say while I write? Can I say Let's let A be a variable or should I write We let A be a variable and ...
5
votes
3answers
299 views
Why don't years have commas?
For example, if one asks "what's two thousand plus two thousand", one could write it like this:
2,000 + 2,000
But when one writes the date:
January 2, 2000
So why do we put commas when ...
4
votes
3answers
239 views
Why is the common meaning of logical terms ('and', 'or') incongruous from that in math?
If someone wrote that they want "nuts and bolts", they would get a bunch of hardware they could attach things with. If this was software or math, they would only receive nothing, because things are ...
4
votes
2answers
274 views
Etymology of “regression”
What is the etymology of "regression" as in finding the coefficients of polynomials?
4
votes
2answers
359 views
Why abbreviation for “Definition” as “Def^n” (math context)
I've seen in math and physics lectures delivered in English, that people use to abreviate the commonly very used word "Definition" by "Def n"(Def superscript n). What's the meaning of this n? That is, ...
4
votes
2answers
416 views
What's the grammatically correct usage of the word “modulo”?
I was wondering how should I rephrase the below sentence such that it is grammatically correct (accepted in standard American English):
10 modulo 3 equals 1.
Initially, I'd thought that it is ...
4
votes
4answers
214 views
What can I call the two possible directions on a line (as a category)?
In English, a vector is said to have two properties: a length and a direction. The possible directions correspond to half-lines out of the origin (so that, eg, up and down are different directions). ...
4
votes
3answers
140 views
Collection of mathematical formulas
What is the correct term for a collection of mathematical formulas in the form of a (small) handbook? I'm looking for a translation of the German noun “Formelsammlung”.
Several dictionarys suggest ...
3
votes
2answers
353 views
“integer multiple” vs. “integral multiple”
Nine is an integer multiple of three.
Nine is an integral multiple of three.
Which is more common?
If both are accepted, what's the subtle difference between them?
3
votes
4answers
458 views
Origin of square and cube as verbs
Whence did the verbs 'square' and 'cube', in the sense (if there exist others) of 'to the second power' and 'to the third power' respectively, originate? There is some degree of similarity between the ...
3
votes
4answers
229 views
Use of the word “convergent”
This question is for people who know some mathematics.
Is it correct to say
The sequence is convergent to 0.
Normally we say: The sequence converges to 0.
3
votes
3answers
2k views
Why is “a 100% increase” the same amount as “a two-fold increase”?
and is such interpretation the norm?
When something went from 4 units to 8 units, most authoritative sources seem to agree with the use of "a two-fold increase", even though what was actually ...
3
votes
1answer
48 views
Understanding smaller parts without understanding what they mean when put together
I am looking for an which adjective/adverb/phrase which refers to understanding all of the smaller components of something without understanding what they mean when put together. "We understand every ...
3
votes
4answers
971 views
How to read parentheses equation [closed]
I have problems with reading mathematical equations in which there are parentheses; could anybody help me?
For example:
(x−a) (x+b) = 5
(x−a) + 2 (a+10) = z
2 + (10−a) d ...
3
votes
1answer
341 views
Reference for oral expression of mathematics [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How to speak mathematics
I am a narrator and have been asked to read several technical papers which have mathematics expressions in them. Is there a reference to help me ...
3
votes
1answer
109 views
Using the word “difference” in the meaning “result of subtraction” taking into account the negative values
The result of subtraction is called "difference". At first glance it might seem that it shouldn't cause an ambiguity over the value denoted by this word; until we stumble upon subtractions that ...
3
votes
5answers
195 views
Alternative to “minuend” and “subtrahend”
In math, I just learned that when performing subtraction, the terms for each number are as follows:
minuend − subtrahend = difference
I have never heard of minuend and subtrahend before, and I'm ...
3
votes
1answer
152 views
“Both of” vs. just “both” with mathematical symbols
In mathematical writing we use letters to denote the mathematical objects we are writing about. I wonder how to use "both of" in the following phrase:
Both of I and I' are irreducible ideals.
...
