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283 points IdealeZahlen | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0s | source
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non- ◴[] No.42139412[source]
One thing I've always struggled with Math is keeping track of symbols I don't know the name of yet.

Googling for "Math squiggle that looks like a cursive P" is not a very elegant or convenient way of learning new symbol names.

I wish every proof or equation came with a little table that gave the English pronunciation and some context for each symbol used.

It would make it a lot easier to look up tutorials & ask questions.

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loremm ◴[] No.42139564[source]
As a first foot-hold I recommend highly https://detexify.kirelabs.org/classify.html

(I think I saw there was a newer one, but don't remember how)

You draw the symbol and get the TeX symbol name. I tried this one and it does give the right \wp (which in this case is confusing and you'd have to look up more about why it's named that)

But for classic ones, for instance the "upside down A" -> "forall" is very helpful and shakes newcomers to math syntax

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nine_k ◴[] No.42140671[source]
Feynman said that his students struggled with a reverse problem: how to know that "harnew", an important part in QM equations that the lecturer talks about, actually stands for .
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1. crdrost ◴[] No.42149469[source]
We solved that though, it's now pronounced “(h)aitch-bar-o-mega.”
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2. nine_k ◴[] No.42150340[source]
Everything is easier with a piece of pi!