Plus and minus signs
Mathematical symbols (+ and −)
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Key Takeaways
- The plus sign ( + ) and the minus sign ( − ) are mathematical symbols used to denote positive and negative functions, respectively.
- Their use has been extended to many other meanings, more or less analogous.
- The forms + and − are used in many countries around the world.
- History Though the signs now seem as familiar as the alphabet or the Arabic numerals, they are not of great antiquity.
The plus sign (+) and the minus sign (−) are mathematical symbols used to denote positive and negative functions, respectively. In addition, the symbol + represents the operation of addition, which results in a sum, while the symbol − represents subtraction, resulting in a difference. Their use has been extended to many other meanings, more or less analogous. Plus and minus are Latin terms meaning 'more' and 'less', respectively.
The forms + and − are used in many countries around the world. Other designs include U+FB29 ﬩ HEBREW LETTER ALTERNATIVE PLUS SIGN for plus and U+2052 ⁒ COMMERCIAL MINUS SIGN for minus.
History
Though the signs now seem as familiar as the alphabet or the Arabic numerals, they are not of great antiquity. The Egyptian hieroglyphic sign for addition, for example, resembles a pair of legs walking in the direction in which the text was written (Egyptian could be written either from right to left or left to right), with the reverse sign indicating subtraction:
Nicole Oresme's manuscripts from the 14th century show what may be one of the earliest uses of + as a sign for plus.
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