Cliffs AP Chemistry, 3rd Edition

± plus or minus; positive or negative

×or ⋅ times. multiplied by

÷or / is divided by

= or : : is equals; as

≈ is identical to; congruent with

≠ is not identical

> is greater than

< is less than

≥ is equal to or greater than

≤ is equal to or less than

: is ratio of

varies as (is proportional to)

aaor^2

1

is square root of a

a^2 asquared, the second power of a; a ×a

a^3 acubed, the third power of a; a×a×a

a-1 is 1/a (reciprocal of a)

a-2 is 1/a^2 (reciprocal of a^2 )

Σ summation of

∆ difference in

k a mathematical constant

π the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter;

roughly equal to 3.1416

Appendix A: Commonly Used Abbreviations, Signs, and Symbols

8684-X AppA.F 2/9/01 8:28 AM Page 389