12/8/2022 0 Comments Another word for variable in math![]() ![]() 168), and then it is described as “a changing number.” The In a text of the 1950s (Hartġ951a), the word variable is not mentioned until the discussion of The line with slope $k$ containing the origin.Ĭonceptions of variable change over time. No such feel is present if we think of that equation as representing Only with (5) is there theįeel of “variability,” from which the term variable arose. In (5), $x$ isĪgain an argument of a function, $y$ the value, and $k$ a constant (or Pattern, and $n$ identifies an instance of the pattern. ![]() Equation (4), unlike the others, generalizes an arithmetic Quantities area, length, and width and have the feel of knowns. These different names reflect different uses to which Property, and (5) an equation of a function of direct variation (not We usually call (1) a formula, (2)Īn equation (or open sentence) to solve, (3) an identity, (4) a The introduction lays out the terrain quite well:Ĭonsider these equations, all of which have the same form - theĮach of these has a different feel. ![]() Did people have a different idea in mind when they first invented the word, and it evolved over time to its current meaning? Was immutability not an important concern at that time such that it was overlooked? Or did I just get it wrong and "variables" in mathematics are actually not totally immutable after all?įor a good (and extremely accessible) overview of the various roles of "variables" in mathematics, see Conceptions of School Algebra and Uses of Variables by Zalman Usiskin. Since the word "variable" originated from mathematics and has been in use for several decades, I'm curious how such an apparent self-contradiction came into existence in the beginning. However, such a denomination seems very weird when the thing it represents is actually invariable. "Variables" in imperative programming languages make perfect sense because they indeed are mutated often. ![]() In Haskell (and functional programming languages in general), most so-called "variables" are actually mathematical variables, which seem to be immutable by definition. I've never thought of this issue until recently when I've been using Haskell to build a substantial project. ![]()
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