{[(1+2)3+4]5+6}7+8=505

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Teo

#450236 Thu, 06 Dec 07 08:07 AM

How should I read the math equation in English?

Teo

Joined on Tue, Sep 28 2004

Taiwan

Contributing Member (1,631)

Thank you very much for your reply.

CalifJim

#450259 Thu, 06 Dec 07 08:48 AM

Here's how I was taught to read it:

1 plus 2 the quantity times 3 plus 4 the quantity times 5 plus 6 the quantity times 7 plus 8 equals 5 hundred (and) 5.

CJ

CalifJim

Joined on Mon, Aug 2 2004

California

Veteran Member (18,255)

"There are no facts, only interpretations" - Nietzsche

Kooyeen

#450457 Thu, 06 Dec 07 08:55 PM

Jim's version is an unambiguous one (something for TTS engines, for example).
People don't read it that way (as far as I know), and just say something like:

Open brace, open bracket, open parenthesis, one plus two, close parenthesis, times three, plus four...

Of course it could ambiguous, but mathematics is meant to be written... All math teachers use a blackboard. Wink [;)]

Kooyeen

Joined on Thu, Dec 22 2005

Italy

Senior Member (4,162)

If you don't have a sense of humor already, it's about time you buy one.

Teo

#450482 Thu, 06 Dec 07 11:00 PM

Kooyeen wrote:
Jim's version is an unambiguous one (something for TTS engines, for example).
Open brace, open bracket, open parenthesis, one plus two, close parenthesis, times three, plus four...

Which is the correct pronunciation for the s in close, Sleep [S] or Boy [Z] ?

Teo

Pronunciation

Kooyeen

#450487 Thu, 06 Dec 07 11:21 PM

Hi,
it's close, the verb, it's pronounced with a Z. I thought I using it as a verb, as if I was dictating:

open (the) parenthesis, 3 plus 4, close (the) parenthesis.

...but now I just realized that I couldn't leave out the articles. So it should be an adjective... and it should be "closed". But it's not "closed parenthesis", it's "close parentheses", as far as I know. How weird. Anyway, you can also call them "left/right parenthesis".

Let's see if someone else has something to say about this. Smile [:)]

Kooyeen

Verbs, Articles

Teo

#450543 Fri, 07 Dec 07 02:33 AM

http://evotalk.net/blog/?p=108

Symbol	Description
&	Ampersand (And)
*	Asterisk
@	At sign, at
\	Backslash
[	Open bracket
^	Caret
]	Close bracket
(	Open parenthesis
)	Close parenthesis
:	Colon
,	Comma
$	Dollar sign
–	Double dash
…	Ellipsis
‘	Single quote
“	Quote
=	Equals
+	Plus, plus sign
!	Exclamation point
>	Greater than
<	Less than
#	Pound sign
?	Question mark
.	Period, dot
;	Semicolon
-	Hyphen
—	Dash
_	Underscore
	\| Vertical bar
{	Open brace
}	Close brace
%	Percent, percent sign
/	Slash
//	Double slash
~	Tilde

Teo

Hyphens, Question Marks, Colons, Underscore, Commas, Semicolons

Teo

#450581 Fri, 07 Dec 07 04:58 AM

51.	(of a delimiting punctuation mark) occurring at the end of a group of words or characters that is set off, as from surrounding text: close parentheses; close quotes; close brackets. Compare open (def. 32). http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/close

Teo

Punctuation