Re:Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?
by cursorial on Thursday November 22, 2018 @10:48AM
(#18510632)
Ah, I see, so it's just a matter of reading something, not understanding it, figuring out what it means and learning from that rather than there being a place where I can specifically read up on it.
I guess I just need more practice.
Re:Ask HN: How can I learn to read mathematical notation?
by ColinWright on Thursday November 22, 2018 @10:52AM
(#18510660)
> ... so it's just a matter of reading something, not understanding it, figuring out what it means and learning from that rather than there being a place where I can specifically read up on it.
Not entirely ... but partially. That's one way you can start to learn. Usually formulas are presented with a broad gloss in English (or other) to let you know roughly what it is saying, with the formula just being a precise way of saying it that can subsequently be used in algebraic manipulations.
Example:
The force due to the Earth's gravity is represented by g at the surface, and falls off as an inverse square. Thus:
F_d = g(R/d)^2
where R is the radius of the Earth.
But be aware that mathematical notation is not, without context, unambiguous. So you might need to provide some context for what you're doing, or where you get the examples from. Some people think this is a weakness of mathematical notation to be solved, but I've found it tremendously powerful. There is no doubt, however, that it is an accidental barrier to entry.
So post a picture of a piece of notation, and maybe someone will either explain it, or point you at a book/website that you can read.