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About This Quiz
Come prove your love of math! If you think of mathematics as the "purest of languages," then this quiz is your chance to show just how well you "speak" it!
The symbols in mathematics are integral to how its formulas are applied and how its equations are solved. Many of the symbols we use in our mathematical calculations today have been in use for centuries. Over time, some have been modified in how we write and use them, but there are others which remained virtually unchanged.
Of course, with the advent of technology, new symbols are also being introduced to make it easier for us to show mathematical calculations on computers. We're pretty sure you know the names of many of them - like that inverted "v" we usually type to show we're raising a number to a power. You do know what it's called, right?
There are instances where a single math operation can be shown using different symbols. For example, we're willing to bet you know all the ones for division and sure enough, our quiz has got a couple of them waiting for you. On the flip side, there are cases where a single symbol can have more than one meaning. That's when things can get a bit tricky, so look out!
Everyone knows that it's impossible to master mathematics until you've mastered the meaning and uses of its basic symbols, so... only a master mathematician will be able to name all of these symbols correctly. Go ahead, take this quiz and show that you're the ultimate math pro!
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Times
It takes at least two factors to make a product. Factors are the numbers that are multiplied and product is the result. The terms “multiplicand†and “multiplier†are also used to show which number is being multiplied (the multiplicand) and how many times (the multiplier).
Measured angle
Brackets
nabla/del
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Tilde
Equals
The equal sign (written as a pair of horizontal lines) was invented by Welsh physician and mathematician Robert Recorde in 1557. Even into the 18th century, a pair of parallel vertical lines was also in use to indicate “equals.â€
Angle
Euler's number
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Less than or equal to
Brackets
Brackets come in several forms and have various uses in Mathematics. The types of brackets include parentheses or "round brackets" ( ); "square brackets" or "box brackets" [ ]; braces or "curly brackets" { }; and "angle brackets" < >.
Equals
pi
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Closed surface integral
Congruent to
Decimal point
The decimal point is used to separate a number into its whole and fractional parts. While a point is used in many countries, in some countries a comma is used instead (for example: 23.58 would be written 23,58). There are also countries where an apostrophe is used instead of a point (23’58).
Times
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Percent
Delta function
Perpendicular
Minus
Numbers in a subtraction have particular names. They are minuend (the number that is to be subtracted from); subtrahend (the number subtracted); and difference (the result of subtracting). So, minuend − subtrahend = difference.
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Asterisk
Epsilon
Plus
In addition, the terms "augend" and "addend" are used for the numbers being added. The augend is the first number, while the addend is the second one. Most often, however, addend is used for both. The term "sum" is used for the result of addition.
Parentheses
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Less than or equal to
Both “less than or equal to†and “greater than or equal to†contain a combination of two symbols. They are the inequality sign (either < or >) and the equal sign (=). In some cases, the lower line is slanted to match the inequality, while in other cases it is left flat.
Division
Equivalent
Imaginary Unit
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Greater than
The “greater than†and “less than†signs should really be thought of as a single sign which changes meaning based on its orientation. The sign always opens up to the side that is more and points to the side that is less.
Tilde
Ray
Square root
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Division
The division symbol of a line with two dots (one above and one below) is known as an obelus (plural: obeluses or obeli). In division, the terms "dividend", "divisor" and "quotient" represent the number being divided, how much it is being divided by and the result, respectively.
Unit vector
Less than
Arc
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Less than
The term “less than†is used to refer to quantities (for example, 6 is less than 7). The term “lesser than,†however, is used to refer to quality, meaning one thing is inferior to the other.
Degree
Sigma
Percent
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Not equal
integral
Greater than
Percent
Bakers use the percent as a way to compare the amount of each ingredient to the amount of flour in a recipe. So, a recipe with 50% sugar does not mean sugar makes up half of the amount of ingredients but that the amount of sugar used is half the amount of flour used.
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Cube Root
Horizontal division line
The horizontal division line, or fraction bar, is sometimes called a vinculum (although this is not strictly accurate). When a slant line is used between two numbers to show division, that line is referred to as a solidus.
Power (exponent)
Caret (exponent)
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Cube Root
Ancient mathematicians have long known and worked with cube roots. There is evidence of the calculation of cube roots by the Babylonians from as far back as 1800 BCE.
Lemniscate
Ray
Measured angle
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Double integral
Laplace transform
Right angle
Degree
The use of 360 as the total number of degrees in a full rotation (a circle) has been traced back to several ancient civilizations. It is thought to be linked to their use of a base sixty, sexagesimal, system.
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Measured angle
There are many different ways to measure the size of an angle. By far, the two most frequently used measurements are the degree and the radian.
Brackets
Delta
Equals
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Lemniscate
Epsilon
Parallel
Parallel lines go in the same direction, are always the same distance apart and never meet. The same is true for parallel curves and parallel planes.
Caret (exponent)
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Parallel
Imaginary Unit
Parenthesis
Although often used interchangeably with the term “brackets,†parentheses are regarded as actually meaning round brackets. That is, as opposed to square, curly or other types of brackets.
Perpendicular
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Laplace transform
Vector
Unit vector
Square root
The calculation and use of square roots can be traced to several different ancient civilizations. The use of the modern square root symbol, however, is first recorded in print in the 16th century.
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
nabla/del
Less than
Arc
If you select any two points on the circumference of a circle, they will divide the circumference into two arcs. When the two points are directly opposite each other, the arcs are equal in length. Otherwise, they are a major (longer) arc and minor (shorter) arc.
Sigma
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
pi
Pi, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, is an irrational number. It has a never-ending number of digits which go on with no perceivable pattern. It has been calculated to over 2 quadrillion digits.
Angle
Integral
Greater than
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Greater than or equal to
Not equal
The term “not equal†indicates that the two amounts being considered are never the same. The terms “greater than†and “less than†are more specific ways to show that the two amounts are not equal. For the possibility that they may be equal at some point, the terms “less than or equal to†and “greater than or equal to†are used.
Line
Parallel
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Equivalent
Right angle
A right angle, also called a quarter turn, measures exactly 90 degrees. Triangles that include a right angle are called right triangles.
Vector
Division
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Euler's number
Leonhard Euler (pronounced “oilerâ€) was an 18th century Swiss mathematician, astronomer, engineer, logician and physicist. Euler's number is just one of the many concepts named after him.
Line
Brackets
Parallel
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Degree
Square root
Sigma
Both uppercase and lowercase sigma have several meanings in Mathematics. Uppercase sigma is most commonly used to show summation, while lower case sigma is best known to mean standard deviation.
Line segment
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Closed surface integral
Perpendicular
Perpendicular lines meet at a right angle, that is, 90 degrees. While a small arc is normally drawn to shown the angle made by two lines, for perpendicular lines, the angle is denoted by a small box.
Imaginary Unit
Cube Root
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Greater than or equal to
“Less than†and “greater than†are true inequalities in that the two things being compared by them are never equal. While we often refer to “less than or equal to†and “greater than or equal to†as inequalities, they are not, in the strict sense of the word.
Minus
Integral
Line
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Double integral
The double integral is a form of multiple integration. It is generally unaffected by the order of integration of the two variables.
Greater than
Cube Root
Less than or equal to
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Plus
Less than
Delta
Congruent to
For two objects to be congruent they must be the same size and shape. That means one would fit perfectly over the other even if it needs to be flipped or rotated to do so.
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Multiplication dot
Power (exponent)
The number being used in repeated multiplication is known as the base. The number of times it is used is called the power, exponent or index (plural: indices). Powers of 2, 3 and -1 have the special names of square, cube and reciprocal, respectively.
Congruent to
Delta function
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Equals
Minus
Square root
Tilde
The tilde is often written to mean “approximately†but has wider usage in several areas of Mathematics, including statistics. Outside of Mathematics, the tilde has a wide range of uses, such as changing a letter’s pronunciation in some languages.
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Ray
Laplace transform
The Laplace transform was discovered by Pierre-Simon Laplace, a 19th century French scholar. His work in mathematical physics and astronomy led to his often being referred to as the French Newton.
Spherical angle
Asterisk
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Times
Power (exponent)
Measured angle
Epsilon
Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet. Most persons who study Mathematics may associate lowercase epsilon with set theory, meaning “is a member of†or “is an element of."
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Vector
A vector is an object that has a magnitude and direction. Vectors are not only useful in solving math equations, they are also used in various science disciplines such as physics and engineering.
Parentheses
Less than or equal to
Greater than or equal to
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Asterisk
Greater than or equal to
Angle
The word “angle†refers to the amount of turn between two lines (or rays) that share a common end point. The lines are sometimes called the arms of the angle while the common end point is the vertex.
Plus
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Decimal point
Delta function
Congruent to
Line segment
Line segments are generally identified by capital letters that name their end points. In coordinate geometry, however, this is taken a step further and the coordinates of the end points are considered necessary for identifying a line segment.
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Euler's number
Spherical angle
A simple definition of a spherical angle is that it is the angle formed by two intersecting great circles on a sphere. More precisely, however, it is the angle formed by the planes that contain the great circles.
Times
Vector
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Minus
Not equal
Power (exponent)
Ray
A ray is a part of line that has a starting point (represented by a dot). The ray goes on into infinity, without end. Interestingly, the name given to the starting point of a ray is “end pointâ€.
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Arc
Caret (exponent)
The caret (or inverted v) symbol is very useful when showing exponents in printed form. Exponents are typically written in superscript beside the base. The caret allows both the base and exponent to be placed on the same line with the number after the caret being the exponent.
Delta
Angle
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Unit vector
While all vectors have a magnitude (length) and direction, unit vectors are special in that they have a length of 1. A unit vector is normally named be a common letter with a ^ placed over the letter.
Multiplication dot
Plus
Laplace transform
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Percent
Imaginary unit
The imaginary unit is defined as the square root of negative one (-1). Technically, it is the only imaginary number and it forms a complex number when multiplied by a real number (e.g. 5i).
Multiplication dot
nabla/del
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Unit vector
Horizontal division line
Sigma
Delta
Uppercase delta is most commonly used in Mathematics to show a change in a value. A river delta, in nature, is so named because of its triangular shape which resembles the letter.
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Perpendicular
Integral
In Mathematics classes, finding derivatives of functions is often taught first and then finding the integrals is introduced as the reverse operation. The stylish “S†symbol for integral conveys the idea of finding a sum.
Spherical angle
pi
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Caret (exponent)
Lemniscate
Closed surface integral
The symbol for the closed surface integral is made up of a single closed loop and two integral symbols. It is related to the closed line integral, which has a single integral symbol, and the closed volume integral, which has three.
Right angle
n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Line segment
Parentheses
nabla/del
While the operation is called both nabla and del, the symbol is simply the nabla. It is the Greek word for a type of harp of that shape.
Closed surface integral
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Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Horizontal division line
Delta function
Theoretical physicist Paul Dirac introduced this function. Hence it is sometimes called the Dirac delta function or Dirac’s delta function. In the strictest terms, however, the delta function is not a true function but more of a distribution.
Euler's number
Not equal
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n/a
Which mathematical symbol is shown here?
Line
Although, by definition, a line has no width, this is not how it is in practice. Even the thinnest line you draw, will have a thickness – no matter how minute!
pi
Tilde
Horizontal division line
You Got:
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