"Galileo said that the universe is written in the language of mathematics, but what is the language of mathematics? This entertaining book gives a rich historical answer: the often accidental, sometimes contradictory, and all too human story of mathematical symbolism and its evolution." --John Stillwell, author of The Story of Proof " The Language of Mathematics is built on the inspired idea that you can generate a thorough and lively history of mathematics by telling the story of its symbols --the <, ∑, +, x , ∫, and the like that give a page of mathematical text its special color." --Jordan Ellenberg, author of Shape "Rojas's robust and extensive history examines a broad array of mathematical symbols, pleasantly enriching the narration by situating each case within its cultural context and the evolution of mathematics as a discipline and language." --Teresa Rojano, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico "Rojas provides an engaging discussion of the history of mathematical notation and symbols and the mathematicians who invented them. A great read." --Oscar E. Fernandez, author of Calculus Simplified "Beautifully written for all readers, The Language of Mathematics provides a great journey through the origins and cultural evolution of some of the most important mathematical symbols. Rojas deftly intertwines his historical analysis of the symbols with an engaging exploration of the mathematical concepts they represent.

" --Érika B. Roldán Roa, Max Planck Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences and ScaDS.AI, Leipzig University.