CH 38: Some Sampling of Math Symbols
One of the primary reasons why mathematics appears so confounding to people is because there are so many symbols that are needed to communicate any given topic. Like a foreign language, or even better, a foreign alphabet, math can appear completely alien to the uninitiated.
Many of the symbols are aesthetically pleasing however, and let us consider a few. Not an =, ≈ is almost equal. ∝looks like an infinity missing the end, but it means proportional. There also exists a ∃ , ∀ is a symbol “for all” and ∑ sums it up! Since so much of ancient mathematics stems from Greek civilization, there are many symbols in current mathematics that are pulled right out of the Greek alphabet. Some of the most common are zeta ζ , beta β , alpha α , gamma γ , phi φ , delta δ , theta θ , lamda λ , and omega Ω , to name a few. There are also the symbols found in discrete mathematics, some include: empty set 
, subset ⊂ , intersection ∩ , and union ∪ . We also find a great deal of symbols in calculus, just consider a few of the myriad of methods to represent the derivative: dy ,F',D y . dx x
