Title: Basic signs and symbols
Course: UGQuants (SSPS) > Section: Maths Self Test

Basic signs and symbols

Symbol | Description
= | The ‘equals’ or ‘is equal to’ sign
+ | The plus or add sign (e.g. 2 + 2 = 4). Also indicates a positive number
– | The subtract, minus or ‘take away’ sign (e.g. 2 – 2 = 0). Also indicates a negative number
x | The multiply or ‘times’ sign (e.g. 2 x 2 = 4). Sometimes written as *
÷ | The divide or ‘over’ sign (e.g. 2 ÷ 2 = 1). Sometimes written as / or, in a formula, as a horizontal line with signs and/or numbers above and below it.
≈ | Approximately equal to
≠ | Not equal to (e.g. 2 ≠ 3)
> | Greater than (e.g. 3 > 2)
< | Less than (e.g. 2 < 3)
≥ | Greater than or equal to
≤ | Less than or equal to
( ) | Brackets (see conventions and formulae below)
% | Per cent, or units per hundred
^_2 | To the power of (also known as an ‘index’ or ‘exponent’): written in superscript: e.g. 22
√ | Square root (sometimes just called ‘root’).