The tables below set out the notation that must be used by AS and A-level mathematics and further mathematics specifications. Students will be expected to understand this notation without need for further explanation.
Mathematics students will not be expected to understand notation that relates only to further mathematics content. Further mathematics students will be expected to understand all notation in the list.
For further mathematics, the notation for the core content is listed under sub headings indicating ‘further mathematics only’. In this subject, awarding organisations are required to include, in their specifications, content that is additional to the core content. They will therefore need to add to the notation list accordingly.
AS students will be expected to understand notation that relates to AS content, and will not be expected to understand notation that relates only to A-level content.
6.1 Set notation
1 | Set notation | Meaning |
---|
1.1 | | is an element of |
1.2 | | is not an element of |
1.3 | | is a subset of |
1.4 | | is a proper subset of |
1.5 | | the set with elements |
1.6 | | the set of all such that … |
1.7 | ( A ) | the number of elements in set A |
1.8 | Ø | the empty set |
1.9 | | the universal set |
1.10 | A ' | the complement of the set A |
1.11 | | the set of natural numbers |
1.12 | | the set of integers |
1.13 | | the set of positive integers |
1.14 | | the set of non-negative integers {0, 1, 2, 3, …} |
1.15 | | the set of real numbers |
1.16 | | the set of rational numbers |
1.17 | | union |
1.18 | | intersection |
1.19 | | the ordered pair |
1.20 | | the closed interval |
1.21 | | the interval |
1.22 | | the interval |
1.23 | | the open interval |
Set notation (Further Maths only)
1 | Set notation | Meaning |
---|
1.24 | | the set of complex numbers |
6.2 Miscellaneous symbols
2 | Miscellaneous symbols | Meaning |
---|
2.1 | = | is equal to |
2.2 | | is not equal to |
2.3 | | is identical to or is congruent to |
2.4 | | is approximately equal to |
2.5 | | infinity |
2.6 | | is proportional to |
2.7 | | therefore |
2.8 | | because |
2.9 | < | is less than |
2.10 | , ≤ | is less than or equal to, is not greater than |
2.11 | > | is greater than |
2.12 | , ≥ | is greater than or equal to, is not less than |
2.13 | | implies (if then ) |
2.14 | | is implied by (if then ) |
2.15 | | implies and is implied by ( is equivalent to ) |
2.16 | | first term of an arithmetic or geometric sequence |
2.17 | | last term of an arithmetic sequence |
2.18 | | common difference of an arithmetic sequence |
2.19 | | common ratio of a geometric sequence |
2.20 | | sum to terms of a sequence |
2.21 | | sum to infinity of a sequence |
Miscellaneous symbols (Further Maths only)
2 | Miscellaneous symbols | Meaning |
---|
2.22 | | is isomorphic to |
6.3 Operations
3 | Operations | Meaning |
---|
3.1 | | plus |
3.2 | | minus |
3.3 | , , | multiplied by |
3.4 | | divided by |
3.5 | | |
3.6 | | |
3.7 | | the non-negative square root of |
3.8 | | the modulus of |
3.9 | | factorial: |
3.10 | , , | the binomial coefficient for , ∊ , or for ∊ , ∊ |
Operations (Further Maths only)
3 | Operations | Meaning |
---|
3.11 | | multiplication modulo of by |
3.12 | | addition modulo of and |
3.13 | G | is the generator of a given group G under the operation * |
6.4 Functions
4 | Functions | Meaning |
---|
4.1 | | the value of the function at |
4.2 | | the function maps the element to the element |
4.3 | | the inverse function of the function |
4.4 | | the composite function of and which is defined by |
4.5 | | the limit of as tends to |
4.6 | | an increment of |
4.7 | | the derivative of with respect to |
4.8 | | the derivative of with respect to |
4.9 | | the first, second, ..., derivatives of with respect to |
4.10 | | the first, second, ... derivatives of with respect to |
4.11 | | the indefinite integral of with respect to |
4.12 | | the definite integral of with respect to between the limits and |
6.5 Exponential and logarithmic functions
5 | Exponential and logarithmic functions | Meaning |
---|
5.1 | | base of natural logarithms |
5.2 | | exponential function of |
5.3 | | logarithm to the base of |
5.4 | , | natural logarithm of |
6.6 Trigonometric functions
6 | Trigonometric functions | Meaning |
---|
6.1 | sin, cos, tan, cosec, sec, cot | the trigonometric functions |
6.2 | | the inverse trigonometric functions |
6.3 | ° | degrees |
6.4 | rad | radians |
Trigonometric functions (Further Maths only)
6 | Trigonometric functions | Meaning |
---|
6.5 | , | the inverse trigonometric functions |
6.6 | | the hyperbolic functions |
6.7 | | the inverse hyperbolic functions |
6.7 Complex numbers (Further Maths only)
7 | Complex numbers | Meaning |
---|
7.1 | , | square root of |
7.2 | | complex number with real part and imaginary part |
7.3 | | modulus argument form of a complex number with modulus and argument |
7.4 | | a complex number, |
7.5 | | the real part of , |
7.6 | | the imaginary part of , |
7.7 | | the modulus of , |
7.8 | | the argument of , |
7.9 | * | the complex conjugate of , |
Matrices (Further Maths only)
8 | Matrices | Meaning |
---|
8.1 | | a matrix |
8.2 | 0 | zero matrix |
8.3 | <math><mi mathvariant="italic">I</mi></math> | identity matrix |
8.4 | | the inverse of the matrix |
8.5 | | the transpose of the matrix |
8.6 | Δ, det or | the determinant of the square matrix |
8.7 | | image of column vector r under the transformation associated with the matrix |
6.9 Vectors
9 | Vectors | Meaning |
---|
9.1 | , , | the vector , , ; these alternatives apply throughout section 9 |
9.2 | | the vector represented in magnitude and direction by the directed line segment AB |
9.3 | | a unit vector in the direction of |
9.4 | i , j , k | unit vectors in the directions of the cartesian coordinate axes |
9.5 | | the magnitude of |
9.6 | , AB | the magnitude of |
9.7 | | column vector and corresponding unit vector notation |
9.8 | r | position vector |
9.9 | s | displacement vector |
9.10 | v | velocity vector |
9.11 | a | acceleration vector |
Vectors (Further Maths only)
9 | Vectors | Meaning |
---|
9.12 | | the scalar product of and |
6.10 Differential equations (Further Maths only)
10 | Differential equations | Meaning |
---|
10.1 | | angular speed |
6.11 Probability and statistics
11 | Probability and statistics | Meaning |
---|
11.1 | etc. | events |
11.2 | | union of the events and |
11.3 | | intersection of the events and |
11.4 | | probability of the event |
11.5 | | complement of the event |
11.6 | | probability of the event conditional on the event |
11.7 | etc. | random variables |
11.8 | etc. | values of the random variables etc. |
11.9 | | values of observations |
11.10 | | frequencies with which the observations occur |
11.11 | | probability function of the discrete random variable |
11.12 | | probabilities of the values of the discrete random variable |
11.13 | | expectation of the random variable |
11.14 | | variance of the random variable |
11.15 | | has the distribution |
11.16 | | binomial distribution with parameters and , where is the number of trials and is the probability of success in a trial |
11.17 | | for binomial distribution |
11.18 | | Normal distribution with mean and variance |
11.19 | | standard Normal distribution |
11.20 | | probability density function of the standardised Normal variable with distribution |
11.21 | | corresponding cumulative distribution function |
11.22 | | population mean |
11.23 | | population variance |
11.24 | | population standard deviation |
11.25 | | sample mean |
11.26 | | sample variance |
11.27 | | sample standard deviation |
11.28 | | null hypothesis |
11.29 | | alternative hypothesis |
11.30 | | product moment correlation coefficient for a sample |
11.31 | | product moment correlation coefficient for a population |
6.12 Mechanics
12 | Mechanics | Meaning |
---|
12.1 | kg | kilogram |
12.2 | m | metre |
12.3 | km | kilometre |
12.4 | m/s, | metre(s) per second (velocity) |
12.5 | , | metre(s) per second per second (acceleration) |
12.6 | | Force or resultant force |
12.7 | | newton |
12.8 | | newton metre (moment of a force) |
12.9 | | time |
12.10 | | displacement |
12.11 | | initial velocity |
12.12 | | velocity or final velocity |
12.13 | | acceleration |
12.14 | | acceleration due to gravity |
12.15 | | coefficient of friction |