Where do Mathematical Symbols Come From? - Sarah Hart

00:00 // Introduction: The Language of Mathematics
01:26 // Mathematics as a Written Language
03:39 // Historical Notation and Interpretive Challenges
07:16 // Greek and Babylonian Mathematical Traditions
10:53 // Algebra and Its Linguistic Roots
15:34 // The Islamic Golden Age and Mathematical Innovation
18:37 // The Introduction of Algebra to Europe
22:52 // The Emergence of Symbolic Algebra
27:11 // The Invention of the Equal Sign
30:13 // Symbolic Shorthand and Mathematical Efficiency
34:47 // The Rise of Notation in Calculus
39:06 // Leibniz vs. Newton: Competing Notational Systems
42:30 // Why Notation Matters in Mathematics
47:01 // Symbols and Mathematical Abstraction
50:45 // Modern Notation and Its Influence
54:23 // Cultural Differences in Mathematical Symbols
58:17 // How Notation Shapes Thought
01:02:11 // The Future of Mathematical Symbols
01:05:39 // Final Reflections and Conclusions

Where do we get our mathematical symbols from? Why is the set of integers called ℤ ? When was the equals sign first used? How about zero? Good notation tends to catch on quickly, whereas bad notation can obscure beautiful theory.

The lecture explores how the introduction of new notation has paved the way for new leaps in understanding, and considers some mathematical quirks of language, such as what the number 4 in English has in common with the number 11 in Russian.

A lecture by Sarah Hart

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website:
http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and...

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