# Where do math symbols come from?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: John David Walters
- Year: 2017
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Mathematics, History, Teaching and learning
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/john_david_walters_where_do_math_symbols_come_from)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Math is full of symbols: lines, dots, arrows, English letters, Greek letters, superscripts, subscripts ... it can look like an illegible jumble. Where did all of these symbols come from? John David Walters shares the origins of mathematical symbols, and illuminates why they’re still so important in the field today. \[Directed by Chris Bishop, narrated by Addison Anderson\].

## Lectures

1. [Where do math symbols come from?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/john_david_walters_where_do_math_symbols_come_from/ccd0a589f369), 5 min (TED's player)