The language of mathematics: the stories behind the symbols

Mathematical symbols have stories to tell. Our ‘Indo-Arabic’ digits are world-travellers who criss-crossed Asia and sailed the length of the Mediterranean Sea on merchant ships. The ‘greater than’ ...

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Publication Details

Journal
British Journal for the History of Mathematics
Published
2026-06-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/26375451.2026.2677296
Primary Topic
History and Theory of Mathematics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The language of mathematics: the stories behind the symbols

David Waszek
British Journal for the History of Mathematics
History and Theory of Mathematics
article

The language of mathematics: the stories behind the symbols

David Waszek
article en

Abstract

Mathematical symbols have stories to tell. Our ‘Indo-Arabic’ digits are world-travellers who criss-crossed Asia and sailed the length of the Mediterranean Sea on merchant ships. The ‘greater than’ ...

British Journal for the History of Mathematics
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
History and Theory of Mathematics
DOISourceOpenAlex
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