Math is one of those things that is luckily universal, we all use the same Arabic numerals and Greek symbols. So when there are differences in my maths class, I am always surprised. Can you tell I am avoiding doing my maths problem set right now.
Also, no fear, I don't expect non-science-y people to be bothered by these words.
I have already mentioned the word "maths" and how Fourier is pronounced "furrier" rather than the (correct) French way. Cosine, shortened to "cos", is usually said in America in a similar way to "coast" without the T, but here it's "cosh" rhymes with "posh". Confusing because there is another trigonometic function called the hyperbolic cosine shortened to "cosh" which is said in that same, rhymes-with-posh, way in America... but I don't know what they would call it here.
When we are working in groups in Tutorials, and I explain how I solved a set of functions, usually I get blank stares. Not because the math I use is any different or because my peers are slow, but because of the different phrases used. As an example, "divided by" or "over", like "3/8 is three over eight" is more usually said "three upon eight" but I can never remember to said it that way.
Instead of "zero" or "oh" the number 0 is "naught". Right. Fortunately, unlike other places, I think a million is still 1,000,000. A vector (one- or multi-dimensional direction) I have always seen written with an arrow over the symbol, or emboldened in texts, but here it is much more common to write the arrow under the symbol. Something I have never before seen.
Another thing I'd never seen: If showing the integral of a function, usually it looks like S f(x) dx. (S is meant to be the integrand.) More often I see S dx f(x), which is fine, but confusing.
And when writing an exponential, rather than the natural e with its power written smaller above it, or e^(2*pi*x), it is written exp(2*pi*x).
More things have "unity". Also the phrase "normal modes" is used quite frequently and I'm not exactly sure to what it refers, but it's not the same as "nodes" nor as "mode of freedom", another concept with which I am familiar.
And of course there are spelling differences like normalise. You want me to do what to that function?
Speaking of which, I will get back to my homework now.
A Century of Quantum Mechanics
2 months ago
1 comment:
The S dx f(x) notation seems to become more common as the physics classes become more hardcore, so not just Scotland. I'm resistant to it, but it makes so much sense, since it allows you to think of the integral as an operator that just goes next to a function, rather than having to sandwich the two parts of the integral around its argument. Whenever I hear normal modes, I think of the solutions to a system of coupled oscillators where they all oscillate at the same frequency. Is this not their usage?
My math teacher freshman year always said "one on x" for "1/x," also pronounced the second letter in the Greek alphabet as "beeta" instead of "bayta." She was Australian, though.
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