Where do math symbols come from? - John David Walters

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ก.พ. 2025

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  • @Marcopolo9
    @Marcopolo9 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1924

    Wow, what my middle school math teacher meant by “Mathematicians are lazy” makes COMPLETE sense now. I never put thought into what he said.

    • @randomguy263
      @randomguy263 5 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Does all math teacher say that?

    • @neventomicic330
      @neventomicic330 5 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@randomguy263 Mine did.

    • @randomguy263
      @randomguy263 5 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@neventomicic330 Yeah, my math teacher also explained what he meant by it.

    • @geetanjalisingh9885
      @geetanjalisingh9885 4 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@randomguy263 my maths teacher is lazy sorry super lazy

    • @dinstellar4099
      @dinstellar4099 4 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      👍🏻 (I'm a math teacher)

  • @Yathuprem
    @Yathuprem 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2659

    Awesometh videoth. I gave u my liketh and shareth.😂

    • @raisa_cherry35
      @raisa_cherry35 7 ปีที่แล้ว +23

      hahahaha!

    • @mickmickymick6927
      @mickmickymick6927 7 ปีที่แล้ว +61

      -th was a verb ending. Ironically one of the few words you didn't conjugate was a verb.

    • @dianaapplehead8815
      @dianaapplehead8815 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      Yathu prem 😂😂😂😂thats English from the bible 😂😂

    • @jalexander9520
      @jalexander9520 7 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      Why do people think this is funny

    • @englandismycity1775
      @englandismycity1775 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yathu prem lol😂

  • @CaptTerrific
    @CaptTerrific 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3734

    This was kinda disappointing... we only actually got the answer to the question "Where do math symbols come from?" for 3 symbols: =, +, and !

    • @ekgguy727
      @ekgguy727 7 ปีที่แล้ว +568

      Higgins2001
      You know how long it took me to realize that ÷ LITERALLY symbolizes a fraction?

    • @mennoastfalck2267
      @mennoastfalck2267 7 ปีที่แล้ว +123

      I don't think you watched the entire video, they clearly explained × ÷ sigma and ². They also gave more subtle explanations for other symbols, such as pi and not equal to.

    • @CaptTerrific
      @CaptTerrific 7 ปีที่แล้ว +378

      Menno - I did indeed watch the whole video. They explained why the symbols exist and what they represent, but not where they come from (and most of us already know what they represent, and why we need symbols overall)

    • @mennoastfalck2267
      @mennoastfalck2267 7 ปีที่แล้ว +51

      Sorry, I misunderstood. Perhaps the origin of some symbols couldn't be traced to one person, or no one knows who thought of them.
      By the way, you responded quite quickly. Were you online since you posted the original comment?

    • @nofanfelani6924
      @nofanfelani6924 7 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      Menno Astfalck notification

  • @thesuomi8550
    @thesuomi8550 6 ปีที่แล้ว +429

    It's interesting how there are still different ways of writing some of these, •, * and x are used for multiplication etc.

    • @siddharthvivek2278
      @siddharthvivek2278 3 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      sometimes, especially when youre dealing with parentheses, you dont even need to write any symbol for multiplication
      so (x + y)(x - y) is the same as (x + y) * (x - y)

    •  3 ปีที่แล้ว +24

      2 X 2 is primary school
      * and • represent the same symbol basically, dot for writing and * for typing. • is used in more advanced grades to not mix up with a possible variable in case you continued using x. In the presence of a variable or parentheses, no symbol is necessery.
      2x, 3y, 2(7 + 9). You might even do 2(8)

    • @GamingBoyColor
      @GamingBoyColor 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You are an + Lol!

    • @Stratelier
      @Stratelier 3 ปีที่แล้ว +9

      And in some contexts, they are actually different operations and thus _need_ to have different symbols.
      Like with vector math, or pretty much any defined programming language.

    • @shafeeqshepi9907
      @shafeeqshepi9907 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @ . .,, . . . ., , . . . .

  • @charliecastillo2011
    @charliecastillo2011 7 ปีที่แล้ว +483

    If math class covered more history like this I probably would have liked it more

    • @dorol6375
      @dorol6375 3 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      How would that be useful for getting and executing a math-related job though?

    • @Tokmurok
      @Tokmurok 3 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      @@dorol6375 investment makes being motivated towards something easier. Not everyone can just do what they are told in class without asking, why, where did this come from, what is the meaning of this things creation.

    • @dorol6375
      @dorol6375 3 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@Tokmurok If you need a reason to be motivated for a subject, that probably wouldn't be your future job though.

    • @alastairhewitt380
      @alastairhewitt380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +18

      @@dorol6375 I was always good at math until I got to Precalc in 10th grade. I simply couldn't understand why we were doing what we were doing and my progress in mathematics came to an abrupt halt. It is only when I looked ahead at Calculus (several years later, out of curiosity) that it all started to click. I re-enrolled in university during the pandemic and now, at 29, am nearly finished with a degree in Applied Mathematics. There were other personal reasons why my academic & life path diverted in the way that it did, but not understanding why we were doing certain things was a huge source of frustration & initial disinterest in STEM - especially since I've always hated traditional systems of education. I hope my future job involves some use of math & problem solving, because it is something I do enjoy, I just can't bear when a task seems utterly pointless.

    • @sergioandresquirogavelarde6816
      @sergioandresquirogavelarde6816 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I would have less, although i find this interesting, i prefer the numbers and applications of the symbols more than the symbols themselves.

  • @gigglysamentz2021
    @gigglysamentz2021 7 ปีที่แล้ว +195

    The division sign that we're all wondering about is called obelus and was first used for division by Swiss mathematician Johann Rahn in his 1659 book

    • @tricksguru6458
      @tricksguru6458 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/-42WaYUTsOg/w-d-xo.html

    • @okaro6595
      @okaro6595 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      That is not used in Finland. Instead we use a colon.

    • @kuutti256
      @kuutti256 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      ​@@okaro6595I never really got why we use • and : instead of × and ÷

    • @alexandramilos392
      @alexandramilos392 10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@@kuutti256 to me it's the other way around, like • is shorter then × and : is shorter then ÷ so why not use • and : instead of × and ÷ to save ever so slightly more time? Especially when the whole point of using symbols is to save time. And before anyone says "oh but they barely save any time/ no time" when your teacher is an Eminem wannabe it actually does save A LOT of time to use • and : instead of × and ÷

  • @TheCanno64
    @TheCanno64 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1410

    ''English letters'' that hurts me a bit

    • @Thammarith
      @Thammarith 7 ปีที่แล้ว +134

      Because they're Latin? Just a guess.

    • @Nathan-pk1tb
      @Nathan-pk1tb 7 ปีที่แล้ว +77

      He said Latin later, so it’s not as bad

    • @mickmickymick6927
      @mickmickymick6927 7 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      Ça nous fais mal à tous.

    • @Nosirt
      @Nosirt 7 ปีที่แล้ว +46

      pretty much all western European language in the latin derived so calling all of them "latin" alphabet is unhelpful.
      "hey man, can you write the Latin letters?"
      ok *writes english 26 letters*
      "sorry I meant spanish letters!"

    • @chairwood
      @chairwood 7 ปีที่แล้ว +33

      American letters*

  • @EweChewBrrr01
    @EweChewBrrr01 7 ปีที่แล้ว +249

    That was really interesting but I wanted to know more on how the symbols were invented. The divided by symbol was what I was waiting for.

    • @MantyxGraphyx
      @MantyxGraphyx 3 ปีที่แล้ว +40

      Idk how it was invented but it does simplify a fraction like 5/4 becomes 5÷4. The 2 dots under and over it represent the numbers •/•

    • @Annie-mk5nm
      @Annie-mk5nm 3 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      It looks like an empty fraction

    • @KURM654
      @KURM654 3 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@MantyxGraphyx 5/4 seems more simplified to me though

    • @notthatntg
      @notthatntg 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I like to think that the line broke a larger dot up (which is the practical definition of division).

  • @crisk75
    @crisk75 7 ปีที่แล้ว +415

    I didn't know I wanted to know this until now

    • @nofanfelani6924
      @nofanfelani6924 7 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      I didnt know that you didnt know you wanted to know this until now

    • @geckoo9190
      @geckoo9190 7 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Yes, is one of those things that you don't wonder abot until some one suggest you to, now that you mention it, yes, where do those come from?

    • @TheRealFlenuan
      @TheRealFlenuan 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      You should also read about how the letters of the alphabet originated from Egyptian unilateral hieroglyphs

    • @mystic6970
      @mystic6970 4 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Gave u the 300th like

  • @alastairhewitt380
    @alastairhewitt380 3 ปีที่แล้ว +31

    One of the many things I love about Khan Academy is that Sal always reminds us of what the symbols mean, no matter the level of the course. Makes learning so much easier.

    • @tricksguru6458
      @tricksguru6458 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/-42WaYUTsOg/w-d-xo.html

  • @robitderhobbit
    @robitderhobbit 7 ปีที่แล้ว +66

    I'd like to add a few things: the symbol for the square root √ and the integral ∫ come from the latin letters r for root and s for sum respectively. The minus sign - is what's left of a tilde written over the letter m indicating substraction, π is the greek p for perimeter (of the circle with diameter 1). Most other signs, like * and /, are fairly new and were invented by mathematicians.
    The alleged origin of the digits is also very interesting: 0 was the original ten, and is was written a little up, so that 9 and 8 were that circle with one and two little lines coming from its bottom. The 5 was the same circle written low, and with a horizontal line over it for disambiguation. The 6 and 7, again, are that low circle with one and two lines at its top. 1 to 3 are series of straight lines forming just as many angles as their value. 4 was once just a kind of cross, thus forming four angles, but the horizontal line sort of slided to the left a bit and was bent up at its left end. Better google these again. That's all I can tell :D

    • @varoonnone7159
      @varoonnone7159 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      That's still a lot. Thank you

    • @yuran1um
      @yuran1um ปีที่แล้ว +1

      * may be multiple + laid one on another.

  • @maixuankhang6254
    @maixuankhang6254 7 ปีที่แล้ว +715

    Ted-Ed is getting more dank lately.

    • @Prokomeni
      @Prokomeni 7 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      True Pug Lord that’s not what dank means lol

    • @eyitsaperson
      @eyitsaperson 7 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      why are you saying TED-Ed is getting cold and damp?

    • @PixelBytesPixelArtist
      @PixelBytesPixelArtist 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Where?

    • @help.phoebe480
      @help.phoebe480 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      The Talking Guest dank means cool nowadays

    • @RetrieverMapping
      @RetrieverMapping 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      S,zs

  • @kathryncarter6143
    @kathryncarter6143 5 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    I think vertical "equal" signs could get easily mixed up with one & sevens if you're really into a significant number problem.

  • @virgile9419
    @virgile9419 7 ปีที่แล้ว +288

    disappointed that there wasn't a small explanation of ÷

    • @brickstrike4926
      @brickstrike4926 7 ปีที่แล้ว +38

      Captaindia it looks like a fraction. Maybe someone made fractions and then decided they needed another way to write it horizontally lol

    • @josephlandry4285
      @josephlandry4285 7 ปีที่แล้ว +34

      It actually is a fraction. A blank one tho lol the dots in the top and bottom of the line represent the unknown variable and the line represents the fraction divide.
      Ex: '/, is equal to 2/3 or two divided by three lol
      Dot over dot is equal to variable over variable to put it simple👌✌

    • @jonathanlamping9627
      @jonathanlamping9627 6 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      it's an empty fraction, the dots representing where the numerator and denominator would be.

    • @shahnazmirza2348
      @shahnazmirza2348 6 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I thought it meant a line cut through a circle to divide it into 2 smaller circles.

    • @randomguy263
      @randomguy263 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@josephlandry4285 | Sure, but why do we write fraction like this: n/m then?

  • @TheTexas1994
    @TheTexas1994 7 ปีที่แล้ว +748

    They’re called Latin Characters (or letters), not English letters

    • @katowo6521
      @katowo6521 7 ปีที่แล้ว +15

      He says English letters at 0:54

    • @jamesrobinson6330
      @jamesrobinson6330 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      English is based off Latin and other languages. They could have used the 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 symbol but they were saying it not writing it!

    • @HyperDragon01
      @HyperDragon01 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      English is more germanic than latin based. Though nowadays is pretty much the only language that will appropriate a word from any other language and just use it.

    • @user-qs7xy8jv8l
      @user-qs7xy8jv8l 7 ปีที่แล้ว +27

      Darth so wrong,every language does that

    • @crydeplosion7098
      @crydeplosion7098 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      It's not even latin, it's fenician but ok

  • @MogaTange-m7b
    @MogaTange-m7b ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I was expecting a rundown of common maths symbols and where they come from. What I got was 4 minutes of over explaining something I think everyone would have figured out themselves.

  • @ryandarshen1846
    @ryandarshen1846 7 ปีที่แล้ว +464

    2+2 is 4, minus 1that's 3, quick maths

    • @stevenbro2935
      @stevenbro2935 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Ryan Darshen lol

    • @MajkaSrajka
      @MajkaSrajka 7 ปีที่แล้ว +28

      That's right, you are on fire!
      Oh, wait, man can never be hot.

    • @rinne1669
      @rinne1669 7 ปีที่แล้ว +13

      MajkaSrajka You ruined it

    • @himuhammadfahmi
      @himuhammadfahmi 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Scrolled down too low

    • @taramas5582
      @taramas5582 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Skkrraa

  • @bechirbrahem5002
    @bechirbrahem5002 7 ปีที่แล้ว +234

    Actually the symbol of the square-root has a reason why it is that shape :
    root in arabic is جذر and its first letter is ج which if rotate it you get the modern symbol

    • @Thedavekable
      @Thedavekable 7 ปีที่แล้ว +50

      bechir brahem thank you! This video was mostly explaining basic operators, not where they came from like you did

    • @kanduyog1182
      @kanduyog1182 7 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      well, from what i know, the square root symbol came from the letter r, because √ kinda looks like r, from earlier texts. At least that's what i know.

    • @michielhorikx9863
      @michielhorikx9863 7 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      리성천 Rhee Sung Chun I have heard that too, because root in Latin is 'radix'.

    • @netrunningnow
      @netrunningnow 7 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      So I googled it and it turns out both the ج for جذر and the R for radix are noted by historians.
      en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_root#History

    • @nantzstein3311
      @nantzstein3311 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Also @

  • @aaronwilson9763
    @aaronwilson9763 3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    This was a great TED-ED Talk...
    Another would be the exploration into "how" and/or "why" some
    languages a more symbol based than others...
    Egyptian hieroglyphics and even Chinese Mandarin are more
    symbolism and meaning rather than annunciation of a word to
    build a more complicated ideas.

    • @lonestarr1490
      @lonestarr1490 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That simply boils down to what exactly the symbols represent. Do they represent sounds, syllables, or whole words/names/ideas. The more meaning is crammed into one symbol, the more symbols you'll need in total.

  • @religionbuster7180
    @religionbuster7180 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    thank you Anderson for coming back

  • @AmateurContendr
    @AmateurContendr 5 ปีที่แล้ว +468

    "Where do math symbols come from?"
    Only explains the origin of two symbols.

    • @moondust2365
      @moondust2365 5 ปีที่แล้ว +29

      Three actually. The ! for factorials was basically just a random pick by Christian Kramp.

    • @dnhn.design
      @dnhn.design 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@moondust2365 lol

    • @iconic410
      @iconic410 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Did you perhaps go to DBS?

    • @user-qh5jk1mn5i
      @user-qh5jk1mn5i 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Technically, it is the truth. for something to be plural it needs to be at least 2. they explained 2 symbols.

    • @yuvrajkumar2048
      @yuvrajkumar2048 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      Two symbols are plural
      So saying where math symbols come from is not a wrong statement.

  • @ibrahima8393
    @ibrahima8393 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Vieweths, Shareths, Likeths?
    The animation team deserves an Emmy at this point

  • @superj1e2z6
    @superj1e2z6 7 ปีที่แล้ว +140

    There is bound to be a new craze, instead of emojis we talk with math symbols QED.

  • @dylanparker130
    @dylanparker130 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    given the thumbnail, you'd think they'd have mentioned the origin of the division sign: it's supposed to look like a fraction, where the two dots represent numerator and denominator.

  • @YasminBiancaKBelck-ob5dd
    @YasminBiancaKBelck-ob5dd 7 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    √ comes from "r" for "radix" (latin for root)

  • @0901강민재
    @0901강민재 4 ปีที่แล้ว +32

    수학기호를 만드는 과정이 어렵고 잘 갖추어진 시스템인 것이라고 생각 했는데 잘 갖추어진 시스템이 아닌 단지 유행 일뿐이라는 것이 충격적이었습니다. 또 기호의 중요성도 배웠습니다. 유익한 동영상 감사합니다.

  • @shaheenkhan8031
    @shaheenkhan8031 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Thank you TED ED. for all animate videos .

    • @josephgodbey5490
      @josephgodbey5490 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      I am ted ed in real life he stole my name

  • @saisevithaa1772
    @saisevithaa1772 6 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    Who else loves the animation?
    Of course, Ted Ed = (awesome animation + awesome narration + awesome lesson)^99999

  • @durpddurke4633
    @durpddurke4633 7 ปีที่แล้ว +118

    The Whetstone of Witte
    Why doesth it soundeth weirdeth?

  • @KailashAnand06
    @KailashAnand06 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    His voice is so calming

  • @smartart6841
    @smartart6841 3 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    3:18 i literally did that whole thing just to end up seeing a block of text and an equation

  • @antoniusnies-komponistpian2172
    @antoniusnies-komponistpian2172 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Addition itself is already a shortcut, at least for integers. m+n is short for "n integers after m"

  • @hymnsoncheung1681
    @hymnsoncheung1681 7 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    3:52
    Those aliens are so adorable like my teeth

    • @thalespro9995
      @thalespro9995 5 ปีที่แล้ว

      Your tetth ain’t adorable

  • @WhimsicalCreature457
    @WhimsicalCreature457 5 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    4:00 - 4:08 just warmed my heart.

  • @wophful
    @wophful 6 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    “Kind of like a meme” you mean literally like a meme. That’s the definition of meme.

  • @SourceEnginePlayer
    @SourceEnginePlayer ปีที่แล้ว +1

    2:34
    division wasn't mentioned how it repeats something so I guess here:
    if you didn't know, since the oppisite of addition is subraction, then the oppisite of repeated addition (multiplication) is repeated subtraction (division)
    we will use this equation: x / y = z
    to find how it repeats, do as follows:
    x - y = a, if a < y, and a not= 0, then there is value after the decimal point, (the remainder is y - a if you don't use decimals) if a >= y, next step.
    a - y = b, follow the instructions above replacing a with b. (ex: b > y, y - b)
    add new variables respectively.
    the amount of times you subtract y is the answer assuming that you start at 0 times.
    example: 10 / 5 = ?
    10 - 5 = 5, (? + 1 -> ?)
    5 >= 5
    5 - 5 = 0, (? + 1 -> ?)
    0 = 0, stop.
    ? = 2, which means that 10 / 5 = 2
    extra math nonsense below
    ever wonder why the division symbol was two dots seperated by a line (or just a slash if you're fancy)
    its because fractions (practically the same as division but lazy) are "x over y" or those two dots, filled in with numbers. x is the top dot, and y is the bottom dot.
    the slash comes from if a fraction fell over.
    percentages also apply, since you can represent every pecantage as x% = x / 100, or "x over 100" which

  • @Menusashino
    @Menusashino 6 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    0:45 Greetings everyone! Here is a radical idea (😂):For expressing equality instead of using "is equal to" just use this symbol: =

  • @michelebriere9569
    @michelebriere9569 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I wish this was available when I was in school. My math teachers couldn't tell me why we use certain symbols. I had Aspy meltdowns more than once because of it.

  • @rajeshsharmajaipur
    @rajeshsharmajaipur 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Love to see TED Ed in its original expertise after long time 😍😘

  • @FabianoSeixasFernandes
    @FabianoSeixasFernandes 5 ปีที่แล้ว

    Love the content. Always watch. But I am here to comment on how beautiful the fact is that now you have ads before _and_ after videos. Remember those days when we thought the Internet was for the people?

  • @orangutansoda
    @orangutansoda 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The addition sign is the equal sign crossed
    The Subtraction is the equal sign with a line subtracted
    The multiplication sign is the addition sign tilted
    The division sign is 2 multiplication dots on top and bottom of a subtraction sign (repeated subtraction)

    • @MajkaSrajka
      @MajkaSrajka 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Interesting hypothesis.

    • @briandiehl9257
      @briandiehl9257 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Division is a fraction (look at the symbol)

    • @Fummy007
      @Fummy007 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      All of these are wrong.

  • @anandamanna9932
    @anandamanna9932 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This is awesome! i am enjoying this maths curiosities probably more than my students are HAHAHAHAHAHAH Cheers from Brazil 💚💛💙

  • @craig4989
    @craig4989 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    The symbols are like dads they abandon their kid but come back when they win the lottery

  • @conquesotador
    @conquesotador 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    Found this while working on a discussion board post. This is so cool!

  • @egeemirozkan2460
    @egeemirozkan2460 7 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Two horizontal lines are sometimes used to represent "or" in some programming languages such as C#

    • @MarioFanGamer659
      @MarioFanGamer659 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      It's actually single vertical line if the "or" operation in question is a bitwise or instead of a logical or.

    • @okaro6595
      @okaro6595 ปีที่แล้ว

      The vertical line is a funny character. Originally it was included for use with APL but as APL decided to use an exclamation point instead they decided to break the vertical line by cutting it by half so that it would not be used. In ASCII 1977 they decided to fix it though the broken line was still common on many systems in the 80s. Then when they extended the character set to add new letters they decided to add the broken bar (¦) back. Why? No programming language uses anything other than pure ASCII in anything besides comments and strings.
      Speaking of characters has anyone ever used the international currency symbol (¤). Swedes in their neutrality did not want the dollar sign so they replaced it with that. On modern character sets it is a separate character from the dollar but still it is the shifted function for 4-key. To get $ one needs to use the AltGr instead.

  • @Welivecurious
    @Welivecurious 3 ปีที่แล้ว

    अद्भुत ! सभी पेरेंट्स को देखना चाहिए यह वीडियो और अपने बच्चों से इस बारे मैं बात करनी चाहिए। मैथ क्यूरोसिटी के बहुत जगह है घर पर होने वाली बातचीत मैं Homeschoolers मैं Math Curiosity पैदा करने के लिए हम भी प्राइमरी के बच्चों के साथ काम और कोशिशें कर रहे हैं

  • @Michael-Hammerschmidt
    @Michael-Hammerschmidt 3 ปีที่แล้ว +17

    Sadly, the quote from Russell in the intro, asserting a viewpoint known as logicism, was short lived. This quote was drawn out by the same hopeful zeitgeist as Frege, Hilbert and others dream to axiomatize all of mathematics under one formal system, reducing all of mathematics to pure logic and thus rendering it wholly complete and consistent.
    However, the specter of undecidability was soon to unweave the seam binding the whole project together. First, Russell himself pulled on the thread when he responded to Frege's naïve set theory with "Russell's Paradox," finding a liar's-esque paradox at the heart of the system. Next, Turing followed in his footsteps, showing the same must be true of computer systems, but the thread of Logicism came entirely undone when Gödel published his two “incompleteness theorems", which found just the same self-referential paradox arises necessarily in all formal systems capable of arithmetic. This does not include Logic, but is true for all formal mathematical systems. Thus, once and for all, demonstrating Math cannot be reducible to Logic.

    • @tttyuhbbb9823
      @tttyuhbbb9823 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      👍✔✔✔👍

    • @broncos435
      @broncos435 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      someone found a thesaurus

    • @tricksguru6458
      @tricksguru6458 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/-42WaYUTsOg/w-d-xo.html

  • @capt.prasad
    @capt.prasad 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Well I didn’t know who introduced the = sign. Yet it’s amazing how and 4 minute video titled “where do math symbols come from” was made which explains the origin of just one symbol.

  • @abonturi
    @abonturi 7 ปีที่แล้ว +18

    Vídeo maravilhoso!!! Parabéns, TED-Ed!!! A Matemática é a mãe de todas as ciências! A Matemática está em todo o universo.

    • @tricksguru6458
      @tricksguru6458 3 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/-42WaYUTsOg/w-d-xo.html

  • @aabhinnav
    @aabhinnav 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I would've lived all my life but never would have known this. Thanks!

  • @Sam_on_YouTube
    @Sam_on_YouTube 7 ปีที่แล้ว +163

    They'd probablg have a symbol for tau, not pi.

    • @abadlydrawnsnowman1648
      @abadlydrawnsnowman1648 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      PI IS BETTER THAN TAU Y'ALL

    • @MegaMGstudios
      @MegaMGstudios 7 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      No TAU, no PI, give me a TAUPIer

    • @user-yj4qz5lo6k
      @user-yj4qz5lo6k 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      you mean taf

    • @kaptaink0
      @kaptaink0 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Pi is obviously better than tau, because mostly tau is defined as 2*pi
      Notice that mostly, pi haters

    • @thomasthetankengine2653
      @thomasthetankengine2653 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Keir McCulloch And people who use tau/taf call π tau/2
      To teach, tau actually makes a lot more sense and only the area formula is simpler using π. For the purposes of arithmetic and geometric calculations, tau is usually a much better option. However, though tau does have more mathematical significance, in absolute math, tau or π are just notations for concepts, so it really doesn't matter. However, for notation and SYMBOLS, tau certainly makes things easier.
      And if you're going to give the e^πi=-1 argument, just know that e^(taf*i)=1

  • @maxresdefault_
    @maxresdefault_ 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I like to imaging the division sign was picked because it’s two dots with a line dividing it like a wall.

  • @Grimlock1979
    @Grimlock1979 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Leonard Euler is responsible for much of the mathematical notation we use today.

  • @davegoodo3603
    @davegoodo3603 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    From reading some comments there is room for a more comprehensive set of symbols to identify, I enjoyed this one too, thanks!

  • @strawberrymilksamurai
    @strawberrymilksamurai 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Today I learned that the "equal to" sign caught on like a meme... that's awesome and hilarious at the same time... I never thought I'd be so thankful for memes

  • @chrisg3030
    @chrisg3030 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Alternative origin for + that also explains why we conventionally use base ten.
    Scale it up so that you can place a counter in one of the quadrants of this grid, say top left. That symbolises 1. Move it to top right, that's 2. Bottom right 3, bottom left 4. Now leave it there and put a second counter in the top left. What have you got? 1+4=5. Keep moving and adding like this, and when all the quadrants are occupied you have 1+2+3+4=10. An additive place value system of counting.
    You can also have a grid with 9 (rather than just 4) spaces to symbolise ten numbers (empty grid represents 0). This is still with us as #.

  • @teeweezeven
    @teeweezeven 3 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    3:40 the square root isn't as arbitrary as it might seem. It is supposed to be an r, for root

  • @tyunxo
    @tyunxo 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Ted ed makes me think of questions I never had before

  • @ViktoriousFlutes
    @ViktoriousFlutes 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    3:31 SAT and ACT (standardized tests) style of confusing people's minds and juggling with their emotions.

  • @feetbilo8169
    @feetbilo8169 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Omigosh I would LOVE it if you had books containing this much information. That is a Math book I'll actually enjoy!

  • @PARALLELPEOPLEAKSHAYB
    @PARALLELPEOPLEAKSHAYB 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wherever they come from they're awesome.....

  • @Henry-og1yq
    @Henry-og1yq 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    'It's normal to find this wealth of symbols a little intimidating.'
    *SO I'M NOT ALONE*

  • @andreiiaz2097
    @andreiiaz2097 4 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Wonderful explanation. 😁
    Just a crazy idea, but what if the exclamation mark is just PERFECT for factorial, because it looks like an "all until this point" ( ! ) and that's just what factorial IS.

  • @juizdeinternet
    @juizdeinternet 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Finally a video that I wanted to watch, because recently the videos here were kinda boring...

  • @vsrirampriya6972
    @vsrirampriya6972 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The division symbol is because:
    •\• the top dot represent Numerator and botoom represent Denominator

    • @pay-2win
      @pay-2win 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      so.. 11 / 2 = 11/2

  • @zodiacfml
    @zodiacfml 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    The integral symbol sends shivers to my spine.

  • @swayingGrass
    @swayingGrass 5 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    "Likeths" 0:50

  • @landlord291
    @landlord291 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Now I’m going to search up where letters came from

  • @francescolasaracina3964
    @francescolasaracina3964 5 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    This video title is wrong. It should've been: "what's the purpose of those symbols"

  • @moonstonepearl21
    @moonstonepearl21 7 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Really enjoyed this. Very informative and the cute animations were really fun to watch :)

  • @rogersledz6793
    @rogersledz6793 3 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thank you so much for uploading this video. It is helping me get through the pandemic!

  • @geetaannigeri2708
    @geetaannigeri2708 6 ปีที่แล้ว

    Simply love these videos......But I don't know why ppl give a thumbs down.....Seriously ppl!!!

  • @sebastiansimon7557
    @sebastiansimon7557 4 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I though “+” came from the letter _p_ (shortened from “plus”), where the vertical line remained and the bottom part of the loop became the horizontal line, but the loop itself disappeared over time. Same for “−” which came from the letter _m_ (shortened from “minus”) which turned into a squiggly horizontal line, then just into a horizontal line.

  • @netherite9051
    @netherite9051 ปีที่แล้ว

    I used the capital sigma once in maths...
    It was for a quick quiz and I couldn't memorise all the questions so i wrote them down and used the capitol sigma from this video.

  • @yuuki6360
    @yuuki6360 7 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This is why math is so much easier than people actually say

  • @ricopin
    @ricopin 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    kinda wished the video would have explained the origins of more symbols than = and +. the second half of the vid was just about how having symbols is useful which I think nobody is denying...

  • @thefunnyfungusman
    @thefunnyfungusman 7 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    You said meme...
    *Subscribed*

    • @TheTouroVermelho
      @TheTouroVermelho 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Well, did you know that the word "meme" was created way before Internet? I think the first person to use it was Richard Dawkins in his book "The Selfish Gene"

    • @DanielMemeSmith
      @DanielMemeSmith 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Gustavo Miller oh look, a historian!

    • @DanielMemeSmith
      @DanielMemeSmith 6 ปีที่แล้ว

      Pelican I can't believe that word is able to be in a ted ed talk. Wow. The new generation is always evolving...

  • @femto2
    @femto2 4 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The square root symbol is not arbitrary.
    Latin: "radix" quadratum 4 aequalis 2 (the "side" of square 4 is equal to 2)
    1) radix quadratum 4 = 2
    2) radix 4 = 2
    3) ra 4 = 2
    4) r(4) = 2
    .
    .
    .
    √4 = 2

    • @femto2
      @femto2 4 ปีที่แล้ว

      The word "radix" in the context of the time is better translated "side" instead of "root".

  • @youarenextlol2042
    @youarenextlol2042 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    3:12 He is left handed!
    #LeftieSquad

  • @maxryder9321
    @maxryder9321 3 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The alien at 4:10 is using their own equals sign in all the expressions

  • @unneccry2222
    @unneccry2222 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    3:25 167 i chose 7 iluminaty confirmed

  • @_aidid
    @_aidid 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    This video is supposed to be telling about the history about the mathematical signs were devised but this mainly showed how they are used.

  • @dkpsyhog
    @dkpsyhog 7 ปีที่แล้ว +21

    I liketh thy video.

  • @notthatntg
    @notthatntg 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    The way I see a division sign is that the line broke a larger dot into two, which is the whole idea of division ("breaking" a number into smaller parts).

  • @shlomisass7892
    @shlomisass7892 4 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    An interesting fact:
    In many of Jewish schools, math teachers use the plus symbol without the bottom part because the similarity to the Christian cross.

  • @SG-xt1gf
    @SG-xt1gf 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The division symbol is the line separating the two dots. #divisonindivisionsign

  • @rajanibokolia8740
    @rajanibokolia8740 6 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Love it ! I am a 6 th student girl I like the videos of ted ed I always enjoy it , please make a video of India ' s history on ted ed . 😉🙂

  • @bealu9459
    @bealu9459 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    POV: you lose your math final because of a line

  • @josephjackson1956
    @josephjackson1956 6 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    All those little dots at 1:15 probably mean something in maths

  • @Marcopolo9
    @Marcopolo9 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Any riddles coming up soon? I like the riddles/math problems etc that you post to the channel.

  • @y0y010
    @y0y010 4 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    It is regretting to see that this channel forgets to credit the most important pioneers of Mathematics who are INDIANS. They are the first to have created the concepts even before the Greeks. I would humbly request you to research a bit more on this subject and bring more accurate information.

  • @theadventuresofalyssa
    @theadventuresofalyssa ปีที่แล้ว

    simple question, but complex answer. i like it! :)

  • @damianshaw764
    @damianshaw764 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Never been so early - don't know what to say

    • @Zer0-0
      @Zer0-0 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      Damian Shaw
      Me neither

  • @patriciaschuster1371
    @patriciaschuster1371 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Could we have more of theses, please.

  • @swoogles6353
    @swoogles6353 7 ปีที่แล้ว +16

    The person who commented first is the one that commented before watching the whole vid

    • @crackawood
      @crackawood 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Tsumi Okumura the person who commented first felt really good about himself for virtually no justifiable reason

    • @swoogles6353
      @swoogles6353 7 ปีที่แล้ว

      jwoods
      I guess so

  • @ArnaudCheritat
    @ArnaudCheritat 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Excellent video, excellent realization. 0:59 English letters - do you mean, like, thorn (þ)?

  • @Eric-oq3ek
    @Eric-oq3ek 7 ปีที่แล้ว +15

    I have a question. My uncle said that if we ever get to meet any aliens, we most likely wouldn't be able to communicate with them. However, he said that the only thing that would be comparable between humans and aliens would be math. Is this true?

    • @DemRat
      @DemRat 7 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      We simply don't know enough about how intelligent life forms could operate to properly answer that question.
      Simply by taking a different set of fundamental axioms, their maths could be completely different from ours. (Not in what their results are, but in how they get there.)
      Likewise, their language might be as translateable as our languages are just by chance. We have no way to tell until we acually meet any aliens.

    • @nikyabodigital
      @nikyabodigital 7 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Not Math. It's Science. There are things that are really universal . And that is the Elements in the Periodic Table. That would definitely become the basis for us to make another universal language

    • @getlowpapoose
      @getlowpapoose 7 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Probably. Assuming that alien life is intelligent, they would almost certainly have some form of numerical system. That is something that we have in common. Mathematics is a universal language, in that sense.

    • @nothingbutastupidshit4039
      @nothingbutastupidshit4039 7 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      The mathematics may not look even remotely similar in any way but the basic principles would be similar. Obviously, they'd use far different symbols to represent their numerical systems, operators & etc.
      The likelihood of them even looking somewhat similar is extremely small. Probably under 0.1%.

    • @noahwilliams8996
      @noahwilliams8996 7 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That depends on how intelligent they are.

  • @nicholasalkhawli6057
    @nicholasalkhawli6057 4 ปีที่แล้ว

    Let's graph a function without symbols 5x+y =10
    (5 times X plus y Is equal to ten
    Plug in 1 for x to get 5 plus y is equal to ten subtract five to get y = 5
    So the first point is y is equal to 5
    And x is equal to 1 for the second point plug in 2 for x to get 10 plus y is equal to 10 so subtract 10 from both sides to y is equal to 0 when x =2) with symbol
    When x=1 5(1)+y=10 y=10-5=5
    (1,5) when x=2 y+5(2)=10 y=10-10=0
    (2,0).
    Not lazy but efficient

  • @rodrigoernestomarquezlopez9751
    @rodrigoernestomarquezlopez9751 5 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    OH TED ED... You NEVER disappoint in the obscure or mundane things that You exposed the truth of... And so i AM so proud of... Keep up the good work!!!!😉

  • @dansilluching6797
    @dansilluching6797 7 ปีที่แล้ว

    Do a lesson about were did we get out last names