# Does the integral symbol have a name?

1. Mar 4, 2004

### Fuego

I find myself continually referring to this:

$$\int$$

as the 'integral-symbol-thingy'. Does it have a name? I asked my math teacher; he said it has a name but he couldn't remember it.

2. Mar 4, 2004

### Michael D. Sewell

Just drop the "thingy" part. The integral sign is an elongated "S" denoting a sum(from the latin summa). It was first introduced by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz(1646-1716). The integral sign that you have shown in your post is an indefinite integral. I hope this helps. -Mike

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 4, 2004
3. Mar 4, 2004

### NateTG

It's sometimes called a lazy s. Typically you can say 'integral from a to b of' or 'indefinite integral of' so there's usually no real reason to specify 'integral symbol'.

4. Mar 5, 2004

### HallsofIvy

Staff Emeritus
My father always called it a "seahorse", but I'm not certain that is standard terminology!

(Yes, "integral symbol" or "integral sign" without the "thingy" is fine.)

5. Mar 6, 2004

### Your.Master

Think of it like "plus sign" or "minus sign" -- these are commonly referenced symbols for common operations.

6. Mar 7, 2004

### Janitor

Yikes!

My first day of posting at this Forum, and I've already had a post deleted.

I belong to another Forum website that uses software similar to this one's, and the celebrity who runs it has deleted maybe two of my 1,400+ posts there. I am getting off on the wrong foot here, it seems.

7. Mar 7, 2004

### Hurkyl

Staff Emeritus
*shrug* I didn't think this thread was the right place to try and stir up contraversial politics. We have a politics forum for that, and Zero loves that sort of stuff.

8. Mar 7, 2004

### Janitor

I'll try to remember that.