Speaking Mathematically: Prepared By: Jan Marie P. Lubuguin

Speaking
Mathematically
PREPARED BY: JAN MARIE P. LUBUGUIN
What is a VARIABLE?
 VARIABLE is sometimes thought as a

mathematical “John Doe” because you can
use it as a placeholder when you want to talk
about something but either
 (1) you imagine that it has one or more values
but you don’t know what they are
 (2) you want whatever you say about it to be
equally true for all elements in a given set
Illustration # 1:
 Is there a number with the following property:

Doubling it and adding 3 gives the same result
as squaring it?
 If introduced with the use of a variable:
 Is there a number x with the property that

2x + 3 = x 2
 The advantage of using a variable is that it
allows you to give a temporary name to what
you are seeking so that, you can perform
concrete computations with it to help
discover its possible value.
Illustration # 2:
 No matter what number might be chosen, if it

is greater than 2, then its square is greater
than 4.
 If introduced with the use of a variable:
 No matter what number might be chosen, if n

is greater than 2, then n2 is greater than 4.
Writing Sentences Using Variables:
a. Are there numbers with the property that the

sum of their squares equals the square of their
sum?
b. Given any real number, its square is non-

negative.
Writing Sentences Using Variables:
ANSWERS:
a. Are there numbers with the property that
(a2 + b2) = (a + b) 2? 2
b. Given any real number r, r2 ≥ 0.

SEATWORK 1
Use variables to rewrite the following

sentences:
2
a. Are there numbers whose squares are

smaller than the numbers themselves?
b. A prime number is an integer greater than 1

and whose only positive divisors are 1 and itself.
Some Important Kinds of
Mathematical Statements
1. UNIVERSAL STATEMENT says that a

certain property is true for all elements in a set.
Ex.
All positive numbers are greater than zero.

2. CONDITIONAL STATEMENT says that if

one thing is true then some other thing also has
to be true.
Ex.
If 378 is divisible by 18, then 378 is also
divisible by 6.
3. EXISTENTIAL STATEMENT says that there

is at least one thing for which the property is
true.
Ex.
There is a prime number that is even.

4. UNIVERSAL CONDITIONAL STATEMENT is

a statement that contains some variation of the
words “for all” and contains versions of the
words “if-then”.
Ex.
For all animals a, if a is a dog, then a is a

mammal.
One important fact about UNIVERSAL

CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS is that they can
be rewritten in ways that make them appear to
be purely universal or purely conditional.
Ex.
For all animals a, if a is a dog, then a is a
mammal.
It can be rewritten in a way that makes its

conditional nature explicit but its universal
nature implicit.
If a is a dog, then a is a mammal.

or
If an animal is a dog, then the animal is a
mammal.
Ex. For all animals a, if a is a dog, then a is a mammal.
It can be rewritten in a way that makes its universal nature

explicit but its conditional nature implicit.
For all dogs a, a is a mammal. OR

All dogs are mammal.
(Crucial point is the ability to translate among various ways of

expressing universal conditional statements enormously useful
for doing mathematics and many parts computer science)
Rewriting a Universal Conditional
Statement
 Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following
statement:
For all real numbers x, if x is nonzero, then x2 is
positive.
a. If a real number is nonzero, then its square is
_____.
b. For all nonzero real numbers x, _____.
c. If x _____, then _____.
d. The square of any nonzero real number is _____.
e. All nonzero real numbers have _____.
Rewriting a Universal Conditional
Statement
 ANSWERS:
a. is positive.
b. x2 is positive.
c. Is a nonzero real number; x2 is positive.
d. Positive
e. Positive squares (squares that are positive)
SEATWORK 2
 Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following statement:
For all real numbers x, if x is greater than 2, then x2 is
greater than 4.
a. If a real number is greater than 2, then its square is
_____.
b. For all nonzero real numbers greater than 2, _____.
c. If x _____, then _____.
d. The square of any real number greater than 2 is
_____.
e. All real numbers greater than 2 have _____.
5. UNIVERSAL EXISTENTIAL STATEMENT is

a statement that is universal because its first
part says that a certain property is true for all
objects of a given type and its is existential
because its second part asserts the existence of
something.
Ex.
Every real number has an additive inverse
In this statement the property “has an additive

inverse” is universal to all real numbers. It also
asserts the existence of something-an additive
inverse-for each real number. But it depends
on the real number, different real numbers
have different additive inverse.
Other ways we can rewrite the statement:

or
All real numbers have additive inverse.
or
For all real numbers r, there is an additive inverse for r.
or
For all real numbers r, there is a real number s such
that s in an additive inverse for r.
Rewriting a Universal Existential
Statement
statement:
Every pot has a lid.
a. All pots _____.
b. For all Pots P, there is _____.
c. For all pots P there is a lid L such that _____.
Rewriting a Universal Existential
Statement
 ANSWERS:
a. have lid.
b. a lid for P.
c. L is a lid for P.
SEATWORK 3

statement:
All bottles have caps.
a. Every bottle _____.
b. For all bottles B, there _____.
c. If all bottles B there is a cap C such that
_____.
6. EXISTENTIAL UNIVERSAL STATEMENT is

a statement that is existential because its first
part asserts that a certain property exists and
its second part says that the object satisfies a
certain property for all things of a certain kind.
Ex.
There is a positive integer that is less than or
equal to every positive integer.
There is a positive integer that is less than or

equal to every positive integer.
This statement is true because the number one

is a positive integer, and it satisfies the property
of “being less than or equal to every positive
integer”.
Other ways we can rewrite the statement:
There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to every

positive integer.
or
Some positive integer is less than or equal to every positive
integer.
or
There is a positive integer m that is less than or equal to every
positive integer.
or
There is a positive integer m with the property for all positive
integers n, m ≤ n.
Rewriting a Existential Universal
Statement
statement:
There is a person in my class who is at least as old
as every person in my class.
a. Some _____ is at least as old as ______.
b. There is a person P in my class such that P is
_____.
c. There is a person P in my class with the property
that for every person Q in my class, P is _____.
Rewriting a Existential Universal
Statement
 ANSWERS:
a. person in my class; every person in my class.
b. at least as old as every person in my class.
c. at least as old as Q.
SEATWORK 4

statement:
There is a bird in this flock that is at least as
heavy as every bird in the flock.
a. Some _____ is at least as heavy as ______.
b. There is a bird B in this flock such that B is
_____.
c. There is a bird B in the flock with the property
that for every bird D in the flock, B is _____.
ASSIGNMENT:
Answer Exercise Set 2.1,

numbers 1-6 and 8-13 on page
29.
Answers only, in a yellow paper.

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Speaking

 VARIABLE is sometimes thought as a

 Is there a number with the following property:

 If introduced with the use of a variable:

 Is there a number x with the property that

 No matter what number might be chosen, if it

 If introduced with the use of a variable:

 No matter what number might be chosen, if n

a. Are there numbers with the property that the

b. Given any real number, its square is non-

b. Given any real number r, r2 ≥ 0.

Use variables to rewrite the following

a. Are there numbers whose squares are

b. A prime number is an integer greater than 1

1. UNIVERSAL STATEMENT says that a

All positive numbers are greater than zero.

2. CONDITIONAL STATEMENT says that if

3. EXISTENTIAL STATEMENT says that there

There is a prime number that is even.

4. UNIVERSAL CONDITIONAL STATEMENT is

For all animals a, if a is a dog, then a is a

One important fact about UNIVERSAL

It can be rewritten in a way that makes its

If a is a dog, then a is a mammal.

It can be rewritten in a way that makes its universal nature

For all dogs a, a is a mammal. OR

(Crucial point is the ability to translate among various ways of

5. UNIVERSAL EXISTENTIAL STATEMENT is

Every real number has an additive inverse

In this statement the property “has an additive

Every real number has an additive inverse

 Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following

6. EXISTENTIAL UNIVERSAL STATEMENT is

There is a positive integer that is less than or

This statement is true because the number one

There is a positive integer that is less than or equal to every

 Fill in the blanks to rewrite the following

Answer Exercise Set 2.1,

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