1.1.3 Mathematical Symbols

What mathematical symbols do I need to know?

 

• Starting with the basic four operations

  Addition, plus, sum, total

  Subtraction, minus, difference, take away

Multiplication, product, times

Division, divide, share

• Equals signs

Equal to e.g.

Not equal to e.g.

Approximately equal to e.g. 

Identical to e.g. 

• Inequality signs

Greater than e.g. 

Less than 

Greater than or equal to 

Less than or equal to

• Other helpful symbols

  Brackets: used to group symbols e.g.

   Powers (also called indices or order): repeated multiplication of the base number

   e.g.

Square root: opposite of squaring e.g.  

   Plus Minus: Used to allow for two distinct answers, often in quadratics

is shorthand for and 

   e.g. leading to  and  

   Pi: the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter

What do the order of operations BIDMAS or BODMAS mean?

• The order of operations helps when solving simple and complex mathematical problems
• It simply tells us the order to approach a calculation
• Each letter of BIDMAS or BODMAS stands for a different mathematical symbol or operation

Brackets

Indices or Order

Division 

Multiplication 

Addition

Subtraction

• If there are multiple addition and subtraction symbols these should be worked out in order left to right 

Worked Example