In The Language of Mathematics: The Stories behind the Symbols (Princeton University Press, 2025), author and mathematician Raúl Rojas explores these and other examples of the complex, and ...

In the 6th century BCE, the Greek alphabet used 24 letters. To make numbers, the Greeks added three more symbols ( accounts differ as to whether these were resurrected older letters or newly designed ...

For example, to write the formula for calculating the volume of a cylinder, you'd start by expanding the Greek letters dropdown to choose the pi symbol. Then, go to Math operations dropdown, pick ...

Researchers have trained rhesus macaque monkeys to recognize two sets of symbols, with 26 symbols in each set. And the monkeys demonstrated an ability to add them together!

Math popularizer Rob Eastaway thinks his "zequals" sign will help people get better at back-of-the-envelope calculations.

After learning this math concept using the concrete examples or abstract, generic symbols, the students took a multiple-choice quiz demonstrating that they learned the principles involved.

All equals are not created equal—mathematicians sometimes play fast and loose. In programming, equal signs mean different things, and variables have different types. Turning intuitive math ...

Doing math is thought to be a uniquely human skill. We can learn the abstract concept of a number: two things or three things or four things; we can represent that concept symbolically (2, 3, 4 ...

Most people, Joseph Mazur writes in his new book, "Enlightening Symbols: A Short History of Mathematical Notation and Its Hidden Powers, " are surprised to learn this ubiquitous symbol didn't come ...

Today marks National Pi Day in the United States and around the world. The holiday commemorates a timeless symbol beloved by many in mathematical and scientific communities, while making the most ...