03-12-2009, 02:50 PM
Or:
Most of the mathematical notation in use today was not invented until the 16th century.[17] Before that, mathematics was written out in words, a painstaking process that limited mathematical discovery. In the 18th century, Euler was responsible for many of the notations in use today. Modern notation makes mathematics much easier for the professional, but beginners often find it daunting. It is extremely compressed: a few symbols contain a great deal of information. Like musical notation, modern mathematical notation has a strict syntax and encodes information that would be difficult to write in any other way.
It is a science, but it is also a language, that has changed a lot over time and is very well documented, the current symbols we use for number might not be the symbols that are used in a few hundred years. Just like our symbols were not around until the 1600's.
Most of the mathematical notation in use today was not invented until the 16th century.[17] Before that, mathematics was written out in words, a painstaking process that limited mathematical discovery. In the 18th century, Euler was responsible for many of the notations in use today. Modern notation makes mathematics much easier for the professional, but beginners often find it daunting. It is extremely compressed: a few symbols contain a great deal of information. Like musical notation, modern mathematical notation has a strict syntax and encodes information that would be difficult to write in any other way.
It is a science, but it is also a language, that has changed a lot over time and is very well documented, the current symbols we use for number might not be the symbols that are used in a few hundred years. Just like our symbols were not around until the 1600's.
"What you are about to see is top secret. Do not tell my mother."