Mathematical formulae are useful rules expressed using symbols or letters. In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a chemical formula. The informal use of the term formula in science refers to the general construct of relationship between given quantities. The plural of formula can be spelled either as formulas (from the most common English plural noun form) or, under the influence of scientific Latin, formulae (from the original Latin).
In mathematics, a formula generally refers to an identity which equates one mathematical expression to another with the most important ones being mathematical theorems. Syntactically, a formula is an entity which is constructed using the symbols and formation rules of a given logical language. For example, determining the volume of a sphere requires a significant amount of integral calculus or its geometrical analogue, the method of exhaustion. However, having done this once in terms of some parameter (the radius for example), mathematicians have produced a formula to describe the volume of a sphere in terms of its radius: V = 4/3nr3
Having obtained this result, the volume of any sphere can be computed as long as its radius is known. Here, notice that the volume V and the radius rare expressed as single letters instead of words or phrases. This convention, while less important in a relatively simple formula, means that mathematicians can more quickly manipulate formulas which are larger and more complex. Mathematical formulas are often algebraic, analytical or in closed form.
In modern chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of expressing information about the proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound, using a single line of chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes other symbols, such as parentheses, brackets, and plus (+) and minus (?) signs. For example, H2O is the chemical formula for water, specifying that each molecule consists of two hydrogen (H) atoms and one oxygen (O) atom. Similarly, O?
denotes an ozone molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms and a net negative charge.
In a general context, formulas are a manifestation of mathematical model to real world phenomena, and as such can be used to provide solution (or approximated solution) to real world problems, with some being more general than others. For example, the formula F = ma is an expression of Newton’s second law, and is applicable to a wide range of physical situations. Other formulas, such as the use of the equation of a sine curve to model the movement of the tides in a bay, may be created to solve a particular problem. In all cases, however, formulas form the basis for calculations.
Expressions are distinct from formulas in that they cannot contain an equal’s sign (=). Expressions can be liken to phrases the same way formulas can be liken to grammatical sentences.
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