PROCEEDINGS OF THE 15TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION (Vol 2)
2012
Portland, Oregon
1 + 1 = ?: On the Polysemy of Symbols
Page: 2-624
This paper illustrates how mathematical symbols can have different, but related, meanings depending on the context in which they are used. In other words, it illustrates how mathematical symbols are polysemous. In particular, it explores how even basic symbols, such as ‘+’ and ‘1’, may carry with them meaning in ‘new’ contexts that is inconsistent with their use in ‘familiar’ contexts. This article illustrates that knowledge of mathematics includes learning a meaning of a symbol, learning more than one meaning, and learning how to choose the contextually supported meaning of that symbol.