Baber The Language of Mathematics

Utilizing Math in Practice
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-118-06171-8
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 440 Seiten, E-Book

A new and unique way of understanding the translation ofconcepts and natural language into mathematicalexpressions
Transforming a body of text into corresponding mathematicalexpressions and models is traditionally viewed and taught as amathematical problem; it is also a task that most find difficult.The Language of Mathematics: Utilizing Math in Practicereveals a new way to view this process--not as a mathematicalproblem, but as a translation, or language, problem. By presentingthe language of mathematics explicitly and systematically, thisbook helps readers to learn mathematics¿and improve theirability to apply mathematics more efficiently and effectively topractical problems in their own work.
Using parts of speech to identify variables and functions in amathematical model is a new approach, as is the insight thatexamining aspects of grammar is highly useful when formulating acorresponding mathematical model. This book identifies the basicelements of the language of mathematics, such as values, variables,and functions, while presenting the grammatical rules for combiningthem into expressions and other structures. The author describesand defines different notational forms for expressions, and alsoidentifies the relationships between parts of speech and othergrammatical elements in English and components of expressions inthe language of mathematics. Extensive examples are used throughoutthat cover a wide range of real-world problems and feature diagramsand tables to facilitate understanding.
The Language of Mathematics is a thought-provoking bookof interest for readers who would like to learn more about thelinguistic nature and aspects of mathematical notation. The bookalso serves as a valuable supplement for engineers, technicians,managers, and consultants who would like to improve their abilityto apply mathematics effectively, systematically, and efficientlyto practical problems.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Baber, Robert L.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface.
Acknowledgements.
Part A. Introductory overview.
1. Introduction.
2. Preview: Some Statements in English and the Language ofMathematics.
Part B. Mathematics and its language.
3. Elements of the Language of Mathematics.
4. Important Structures and Concepts in the Language ofMathematics.
5. Solving Problems Mathematically.
Part C. English, the Language of Mathematics and translatingbetween them.
6. Linguistic Characteristics of English and the Language ofMathematics.
7. Translating English to Mathematics.
8. Examples of Translating English to Mathematics.
Part D. Conclusion.
9. Summary.
Appendices.
Appendix A. Representing numbers.
Appendix B. Symbols on the Language of Mathematics.
Appendix C. Sets of numbers.
Appendix D. Special structures in mathematics.
Appendix E. Mathematical logic.
Appendix F. Waves and the wave equation.
Appendix G. Glossary: English to the Language ofMathematics.
Appendix H. Programming languages and the Language ofMathematics.
Appendix I. Other literature.
Index.

Über Autor(innen)

ROBERT LAURENCE BABER is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Computing and Software at McMaster University, Canada. A Fellow of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, he has published numerous journal articles in his areas of research interest, which include mathematical modeling and the conception, planning, and design of computer-based systems for technical and business applications.