Numbers: elementary calculations

=
x=3 ; x3
xy
x>y ; xy
x<y ; xy
x<a<y
xay
<< ; >> ; <<< ; >>>
a+b=s (addition)
a+b=s
a-b=d
(subtraction or
difference)
a-b=d
ab
ab=p, or ab=p, or
simply ab=p
(multiplication)

The equals sign

x equals three / x is equal to three ; x (is) not equal to three
x is equivalent to (or identical with) y
x is greater than y ; x is greater than or equal to y
x is less than y ; x is less than or equal to y
a is greater than x and less than y / a is between x and y / x is less than a
and less than y
a is greater than or equal to x and less than or equal to y / a is between x
and y -pause- bounds included / x is less than or equal to a and less than
or equal to y
much less than ; much greater than ; very much less than ; very much
greater than (The last two are not frequently used, but they are in the set of
Unicode characters).
a and b are the addends, s is the sum, a and b are also the items of the
addition.
a plus b is (/ equals / is equal to) s
a and b is (/ equals / is equal to) s
s is the sum of a and b
a is the minuend, b is the subtrahend, d is the remainder or the difference
a minus b is (/ equals / is equal to) d
a take away b is (/ equals / is equal to) d
d is the difference between a and b
a plus or minus b
a and b are the factors or the multipliers, p is the product

ab=p, or ab=p, or
simply ab=p

a times b is (/ equals / is equal to) p

a multiplied by b is (/ equals / is equal to) p
a by b is (/ equals / is equal to) p
a b is (/ equals / is equal to) p
p is the product of a and b

a : b = q, or a / b = q
(division)

a is the dividend, b is the divisor, q is the quotient or the ratio

a:b=q, or a/b=q

a divided by b is (/ equals / is equal to) q

q is the quotient of the division of a by b

verbs concerning
operations

to sum, to subtract / to deduct, to multiply, to divide

a is the numerator, b is the denominator (the outcome is always called
the quotient, as in the division)
a fraction can be said a divided by b (as a normal division ), or a over b.
Cardinal numbers for the numerator and ordinal numbers for the
denominator are also used (as in Italian): 1/3 is a third, 2/3 is two thirds.
Special cases are 1/2 (a/one half), 1/4 (a/one quarter), 3/2 (three
halves), 3/4 (three quarters), and similar. The special notation sometimes
used for improper fractions, as 3 , is said three and a half.
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Numbers: advanced calculations

|x| or abs(x)
The absolute value of x
b
a
a is the base, b is the index or the exponent, a to the b
2
x
x squared / x (raised) to the power two, x to the second
3
x
x cubed / x (raised) to the power three
4
x
x to the fourth / x (raised) to the power four
n
x
x to the nth / x (raised) to the power n
-n
x
x to the minus n / x (raised) to the power minus n
root x / square root x / square root of x
cube root x / cube root of x
fourth root x / fourth root of x
nth root x / nth root of x
nth root

-pause-

x cubed or nth root

-pause-

of x cubed

x hat
x bar
x tilde
x dot
x dot dot / x double dot
n!

n factorial / factorial n

n choose p
xi
x i / x subscript i / x suffix i / x sub i
index i / sometimes x i if no misunderstanding with xi can occur / x
xi (not a power!) xsuperscript
i
3
n
(x+y) ; (x+y) x plus y all cubed ; x+y all to the nth
x3+y3
x cubed plus y cubed
a1 + a2 + ... +an a one plus a two and so on up to a (sub) n
a1 a2 ... an a one times a two and so on up to a (sub) n
the summation symbol

()
[]
{}

Ordinal
numbers

the sum as i runs from zero to n of the x i / the sum from i equals zero
to n of the x i
the sum -pause- as i runs from three to n -pause- of the quantity n
over 3 -pause- plus the quantity 2 over n -pause- all squared (but
probably nobody will understand what you mean if he can't read the
blackboard or the transparency!!)
parenthesis -pl. parentheses / round brackets
brackets / square brackets
braces / curly brackets
pi
First, second, third, fourth, fifth. Ninth, tenth, elevent, twelfth.
Twentyfirst, twenty second, one hundreth, one hundred first.
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