Sum Of Products Notation: Is It Correct?

[matt grime]

So as long as I get my meaning across, it doesn't matter how I spell and punctuate my formulae?

I presume you're using spell and punctuate as analogies here. If you deliberately use a notation that has a reasonably universal meaning without explaining your new meaning you're making a mistake: it is up to you to explain what you mean with as much labouring the point as necessary.

 

[töff]

I'm reasonably sure no one has seen fit to catalogue every single possible way to draw the letter s, either.

Oh God yes they have, from the Phoenicians through the Greeks and Hebrews, Shin to Sigma to S, all the Roman capitals, the Cyrillic alphabet, even the Cherokee syllabary ... there are histories of western writing systems, books about typefaces and letterforms, calligraphy manuals, analyses of medieval illuminated manuscripts, auctions for old lead or wooden typesetting blocks ... good lord, you could make a career of the letter "S" up to and including Superman's cape.

Well, although I am still surprised at the lack of ANY standardized notation reference whatsoever (except lists of basic symbols, with minimal to no notes about usage), I suppose I must admit that I've made a poor assumption about the field of professional mathematics, and I'll just concede failure. Thanks to everyone who was patient enough to keep explaining it.

And thanks for validating my original equation, too!

 

[matt grime]

Oh God yes they have, from the Phoenicians through the Greeks and Hebrews, Shin to Sigma to S, all the Roman capitals, the Cyrillic alphabet, even the Cherokee syllabary ... there are histories of western writing systems, books about typefaces and letterforms, calligraphy manuals, analyses of medieval illuminated manuscripts, auctions for old lead or wooden typesetting blocks ... good lord, you could make a career of the letter "S" up to and including Superman's cape.

Not what I meant. Catalogue every single individual persons own way of writing the letter s, not the generic stylistic forms of large groups of people.

 

[töff]

I fail to see the analogy.

In fact I believe I have failed to communicate just about completely.

*sigh* And I call myself a writer. HAH!

 

[matt grime]

As long as it is understandable as an 's' you can understand what it is trying to convey. Similarly with every use of the sigma for sum: as long as people understand what it is trying to convey...

 

[Dragonfall]

I believe this is what you are looking for: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_mathematical_symbols

But keep in mind that the symbols do not make up mathematics; the ideas behind those symbols do. You can use whatever notation you want, as long as you are consistent, and define them before hand.

For example, I could define $ = e for my purposes. So I could write "L$t $psilon b$ gr$at$r than z$ro", and though it is "unconventional", the ideas behind the sentence is invariant under notational change.

 

[töff]

That Wiki page raises more questions than answers, and anyway it's not what I had in mind.

But thanks for the link. I do appreciate your effort.

Like I said, I have conceded defeat on the matter.