Speaking in Academic Contexts
Mathematical and scientific symbols
Common pronunciations (in British English – Gimson,1981) of mathematical and scientific symbols are given in the list below.
Symbols
Examples
x + 1 | x plus one |
x -1 | x minus one |
x ± 1 | x plus or minus one |
xy | x y; x times y; x multiplied by y |
(x — y)(x + y) | x minus y, x plus y |
x/y | x over y; x divided by y; |
x ÷ y | x divided by y |
x = 5 | x equals 5; x is equal to 5 |
x ≈ y | x is approximately equal to y |
x ≡ y | x is equivalent to y; x is identical with y |
x ≠ y | x is not equal to y |
x > y | x is greater than y |
x < y | x is less than y |
x ≥ y | x is greater than or equal to y |
x ≤ y | x is less than or equal to y |
0 < x < 1 | zero is less than x is less than 1; x is greater than zero and less than 1 |
0 ≤ x ≤ 1 | zero is less than or equal to x is less than or equal to 1; x is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to 1 |
x² | x squared |
x³ | x cubed |
x4 | x to the fourth; x to the power four |
xn | x to the n; x to the nth; x to the power n |
x-n | x to the minus n; x to the power of minus n |
√ | root x; square root x; the square root of x |
∛ | the cube root of x |
∜ | the fourth root of x |
the nth root of x | |
(x + y)² | x plus y all squared |
(x/y)² | x over y all squared |
n! | n factorial; factorial n |
x% | x percent |
∞ | infinity |
x ∝ y | x varies as y; x is (directly) proportional to y |
x ∝ 1/y | x varies as one over y; x is indirectly proportional to y |
ẋ | x dot |
ẍ | x double dot |
f(x) fx | f of x; the function of x |
f'(x) | f dash x; the (first) derivative of with respect to x |
f”x | f double-dash x; the second derivative of f with respect to x |
f”'(x) | f triple-dash x; f treble-dash x; the third derivative of f with respect to x |
f(4) | f four x; the fourth derivative of f with respect to x |
∂v | the partial derivative of v |
∂v ∂θ |
delta v by delta theta, the partial derivative of v with respect to θ |
∂²v ∂θ² |
delta two v by delta theta squared; the second partial derivative of v with respect to θ |
dv | the derivative of v |
dv dθ |
d v by d theta, the derivative of v with respect to theta |
d²v dθ² |
d 2 v by d theta squared, the second derivative of v with respect to theta, |
∫ | integral |
![]() |
integral from zero to infinity |
∑ | sum |
![]() |
the sum from i equals 1 to n |
w.r.t. | with respect to |
logey | log to the base e of y; log y to the base e; natural log (of) y |
∴ | therefore |
∵ | because |
→ | gives, approaches |
Δx → 0 | delta x approaches zero |
lim Δx→0 |
the limit as delta x approaches zero, the limit as delta x tends to zero |
Lt Δx→0 |
the limit as delta x approaches zero, the limit as delta x tends to zero |
m/sec | metres per second |
x ∈ A | x belongs to A; x is a member of A; x is an element of A |
x∉ A | x does not belong to A; x is not a member of A; x is not an element of A |
A⊂ B | A is contained in B; A is a proper subset of B |
A ⊆ B | A is contained in B; A is a subset of B |
A ⋂ B | A intersection B |
A ⋃ B | A union B |
cos x | cos x; cosine x |
sin x | sine x |
tan x | tangent x, tan x |
cosec x | cosec x |
sinh x | shine x |
cosh x | cosh x |
tanh x | than x |
|x| | mod x; modulus x |
18 ℃ | eighteen degrees Centigrade |
70 ℉ | seventy degrees Fahrenheit |
Greek alphabet
Α | α | alpha | /’ælfə/ |
Β | β | beta | /’bi:tə/ |
Γ | γ | gamma | /’gæmə/ |
Δ | δ | delta | /’deltə/ |
Ε | ε | epsilon | /’epsilən/ |
Ζ | ζ | zeta | /’ziːtə/ |
Η | η | eta | /’iːtə/ |
Θ | θ | theta | /’θiːtə/ |
Ι | ι | iota | /aɪ’əʊtə/ |
Κ | κ | kappa | /’kæpə/ |
Λ | λ | lamda | /’læmdə/ |
Μ | μ | mu | /’mjuː/ |
Ν | ν | nu | /’njuː/ |
Ξ | ξ | xi | /’ksaɪ/ |
Ο | ο | omicron | /’əʊmɪkrən/ |
Π | π | pi | /’paɪ/ |
Ρ | ρς | rho | /’rəʊ/ |
Σ | σ | sigma | /’sɪgmə/ |
Τ | τ | tau | /’tɑʊ/ |
Υ | υ | upsilon | /’jʊpsɪlən/ |
Φ | φ | phi | /’faɪ/ |
Χ | χ | chi | /’kaɪ/ |
Ψ | ψ | psi | /’psaɪ/ |
Ω | ω | omega | /’əʊmɪgə/ |
Roman alphabet
A | a | /’eɪ/ |
B | b | /’biː/ |
C | c | /’siː/ |
D | d | /’diː/ |
E | e | /’iː/ |
F | f | /’ef/ |
G | g | /’ʤiː/ |
H | h | /’eɪʧ/ |
I | i | /’aɪ/ |
J | j | /’ʤeɪ/ |
K | k | /’keɪ/ |
L | l | /’el/ |
M | m | /’em/ |
N | n | /’en/ |
O | o | /’əʊ/ |
P | p | /’piː/ |
Q | q | /’kjuː/ |
R | r | /’ɑː/ |
S | s | /’es/ |
T | t | /’ti:/ |
U | u | /’ju:/ |
V | v | /’vi:/ |
W | w | /’dʌbljuː/ |
X | x | /’eks/ |
Y | y | /’waɪ/ |
Z | z | /’zed/ |
Fractions
½ | a half | /ə ‘hɑ:f/ |
¼ | a quarter | /ə ‘kwɔːtə/ |
¾ | three quarters | /θriː ‘kwɔːtəz/ |
⅓ | a third | /ə ‘θɜ:d/ |
⅔ | two thirds | /tu: ‘θɜ:dz/ |
⅕ | a fifth | /ə ‘fɪfθ/ |
⅖ | two fifths | /tu: ‘fɪfθs/ |
⅗ | three fifths | /θriː ‘fɪfθs/ |
⅘ | four fifths | /fɔː ‘fɪfθs/ |
⅙ | a sixth | /ə ‘sɪksθ/ |
⅚ | five sixths | /faɪv ‘sɪksθs/ |
⅛ | an eighth | /ən ‘eɪtθ/ |
⅜ | three eighths | /θriː ‘eɪtθs/ |
⅝ | five eighths | /faɪv ‘eɪtθs/ |
⅞ | seven eighths | /sevən ‘eɪtθs/ |
Decimal Fractions
0.1 | nought point one | /nɔ:t pɔɪnt wʌn/ |
0.01 | nought point oh one | /nɔ:t pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn/ |
0.0001 | nought point oh oh oh one | /ten pɔɪnt əʊ əʊ əʊ wʌn/ |
1.1 | one point one | /wʌn pɔɪnt wʌn/ |
1.2 | one point two | /wʌn pɔɪnt tu:/ |
1.23 | one point two three | /wʌn pɔɪnt tu: θri:/ |
1.0123 | one point oh one two three | /wʌn pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn tu: θri:/ |
10.01 | ten point oh one | /ten pɔɪnt əʊ wʌn/ |
21.57 | twenty-one point five seven | /’twentɪ wʌn pɔɪnt faɪv ‘sevən/ |
2.6666666666…. | two point six recurring | /tu: pɔɪnt sɪks rɪ’kɜ:rɪŋ/ |
2.612361236123… | two point six one two three recurring | /tu: pɔɪnt sɪks wʌn tu: θri: rɪ’kɜ:rɪŋ/ |
2.5 million | two point five million | /tu: pɔɪnt faɪv ‘mɪljən/ |
SI Units: Prefixes
10-24 | yocto | y | /’jɒktəʊ/ |
10-21 | zepto | z | /’zeptəʊ/ |
10-18 | atto | a | /’atəʊ/ |
10-15 | femto | f | /’femtəʊ/ |
10-12 | pico | p | /’pi:kəʊ/ |
10-9 | nano | n | /’nanəʊ/ |
10-6 | micro | µ | /’maɪkrəʊ/ |
10-3 | milli | m | /’mɪlɪ/ |
10-2 | centi | c | /’sentɪ/ |
10-1 | deci | d | /’desɪ/ |
103 | kilo | k | /’kɪləʊ/ |
106 | mega | M | /’megə/ |
109 | giga | G | /’gɪgə/ |
1012 | tera | T | /’terə/ |
1015 | peta | P | /’petə/ |
1018 | exa | E | /’eksə/ |
1021 | zetta | Z | /’zetə/ |
1024 | yotta | Y | /’jɒtə/ |
1027 | xona | X | /’zəʊnə/ |
1030 | weka | W | /’wekə/ |
1033 | vunda | V | /’vʊndə/ |
Cardinal Numbers
1 | one | /wʌn/ |
2 | two | /tu:/ |
3 | three | /θri:/ |
4 | four | /fɔː/ |
5 | five | /faɪv/ |
6 | six | /sɪks/ |
7 | seven | /’sevən/ |
8 | eight | /eɪt/ |
9 | nine | /naɪn/ |
10 | ten | /ten/ |
11 | eleven | /ɪ’levən/ |
12 | twelve | /twelv/ |
13 | thirteen | /θɜ:’ti:n/ |
14 | fourteen | /fɔː’ti:n/ |
15 | fifteen | /fɪf’ti:n/ |
16 | sixteen | /sɪkst’i:n/ |
17 | seventeen | /seven’ti:n/ |
18 | eighteen | /eɪ’ti:n/ |
19 | nineteen | /naɪn’ti:n/ |
20 | twenty | /’twentɪ/ |
21 | twenty-one | /twentɪ’wʌn/ |
22 | twenty-two | /twentɪ’tu:/ |
23 | twenty-three | /twentɪ’θri:/ |
24 | twenty-four | /twentɪ’fɔː/ |
25 | twenty-five | /twentɪ’faɪv/ |
26 | twenty-six | /twentɪ’sɪks/ |
27 | twenty-seven | /twentɪ’sevən/ |
28 | twenty-eight | /twentɪ’eɪt/ |
29 | twenty-nine | /twentɪ’naɪn/ |
30 | thirty | /’θɜ:tɪ/ |
40 | forty | /’fɔːtɪ/ |
50 | fifty | /’fɪftɪ/ |
60 | sixty | /’sɪkstɪ/ |
70 | seventy | /’sevəntɪ/ |
80 | eighty | /’eɪtɪ/ |
90 | ninety | /’naɪntɪ/ |
100 | a hundred; one hundred | /ə ‘hʌndrəd/ /wʌn ‘hʌndrəd/ |
101 | a hundred and one | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ən wʌn/ |
102 | a hundred and two | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ən tu:/ |
110 | a hundred and ten | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ən ten/ |
120 | a hundred and twenty | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ən ‘twentɪ/ |
200 | two hundred | /tu: ‘hʌndrəd/ |
300 | three hundred | /θri: ‘hʌndrəd/ |
400 | four hundred | /fɔː ‘hʌndrəd/ |
500 | five hundred | /faɪv ‘hʌndrəd/ |
600 | six hundred | /sɪks ‘hʌndrəd/ |
700 | seven hundred | /’sevən ‘hʌndrəd/ |
800 | eight hundred | /eɪt ‘hʌndrəd/ |
900 | nine hundred | /naɪn ‘hʌndrəd/ |
1 000 | a thousand, one thousand | /ə θ’ɑʊzənd/ /wʌn ‘θɑʊzənd/ |
1 001 | a thousand and one | /ə ‘θɑʊzənd ən wʌn/ |
1 010 | a thousand and ten | /ə ‘θɑʊzənd ən ten/ |
1 020 | a thousand and twenty | /ə ‘θɑʊzənd ən ‘twentɪ/ |
1 100 | one thousand, one hunded | /wʌn ‘θɑʊzənd wʌn ‘hʌndrəd/ |
1 101 | one thousand, one hundred and one | /wʌn ‘θɑʊzənd wʌn ‘hʌndrəd ən wʌn/ |
1 110 | one thousand, one hundred and ten | /wʌn ‘θɑʊzənd wʌn ‘hʌndrəd ən ten/ |
9 999 | nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine | /naɪn ‘θɑʊzənd naɪn ‘hʌndrəd ən ‘naɪntɪ ‘naɪn/ |
10 000 | ten thousand | /ten ‘θɑʊzənd/ |
15 356 | fifteen thousand, three hundred and fifty six | /’fɪfti:n ‘θɑʊzənd θri: ‘hʌndrəd ən ‘fɪftɪ sɪks/ |
100 000 | a hundred thousand | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ‘θɑʊzənd/ |
1 000 000 | a million | /ə ‘mɪljən/ |
100 000 000 | a hundred million | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ‘mɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 | a billion | /ə ‘bɪljən/ |
100 000 000 000 | a hundred billion | /ə ‘hʌndrəd ‘bɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 | a trillion | /ə ‘trɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 | a quadrillion | /ə kwɒdrɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 | a quintillian | /ə kwɪn’tɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | a sextillion | /ə seks’tɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | a septillion | /ə sep’tɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | an ocillion | /ən ɒkt’tɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | a nonillion | /ə nɒn’ɪljən/ |
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | a decillion | /ə de’sɪljən/ |
Ordinal Numbers
1st | first | /fɜ:st/ |
2nd | second | /’sekənd/ |
3rd | third | /θɜ:d/ |
4th | fourth | /fɔ:θ/ |
5th | fifth | /fɪfθ/ |
6th | sixth | /sɪksθ/ |
7th | seventh | /’sevənθ/ |
8th | eighth | /eɪtθ/ |
9th | ninth | /naɪnθ/ |
10th | tenth | /tenθ/ |
11th | eleventh | /ɪ’levənθ/ |
12th | twelfth | /’twelfθ/ |
13th | thirteenth | /θɜ:’ti:nθ/ |
14th | fourteenth | /fɔː’ti:nθ/ |
15th | fifteenth | /fɪf’ti:nθ/ |
16th | sixteenth | /sɪks’ti:nθ/ |
17th | seventeenth | /seven’ti:nθ/ |
18th | eighteenth | /eɪ’ti:nθ/ |
19th | nineteenth | /naɪn’ti:nθ/ |
20th | twentieth | /’twentɪəθ/ |
21st | twenty-first | /twentɪ’fɜ:st/ |
22nd | twenty-second | /twentɪ’sekənd/ |
23rd | twenty-third | /twentɪ’θɜ:d/ |
24th | twenty-fourth | /twentɪ’fɔ:θ/ |
25th | twenty-fifth | /twentɪ’fɪfθ/ |
26th | twenty-sixth | /twentɪ’sɪksθ/ |
27th | twenty-seventh | /twentɪ’sevənθ/ |
28th | twenty-eighth | /twentɪ’eɪtθ/ |
29th | twenty-ninth | /twentɪ’naɪnθ/ |
30th | thirtieth | /’θɜːtɪəθ/ |
31st | thirty-first | /θɜːtɪ’fɜ:st/ |
40th | fortieth | /’fɔ:tɪəθ/ |
50th | fiftieth | /’fɪftɪəθ/ |
100th | hundredth | /’hʌndrədθ/ |
1 000th | thousandth | /’θɑʊzəndθ/ |
1 000 000th | miilionth | /’mɪljənθ/ |
Chemical Symbols
See also: Chemical Symbols