a quick question

I don't generally give quick answers. 8-)

Mathematically speaking, the forward slash means a ratio, when typed between two quantities. (I'm not sure where you might have seen the characters "7/3" or what you're thinking when you type them.)

You're familiar with ratios. Sports stats, for example, like "my 10-game win/loss record was 7 to 3" (that ratio could be written as 7/3, or 7:3).

7/3 could be viewed as the Rational number: \(\displaystyle \ \frac{7}{3}\), the ratio of the Integer 7 to the Natural number 3.

Yes, it could also be viewed as a division waiting to happen (arithmetic fraction), which results in a quotient of two and a remainder of one-third (the repeating-decimal equivalent is 2.33333…).

It could simply be viewed as a rate, as in "my anchor drops 7 meters per 3 seconds".

So, 7/3 can be interpreted differently (mathematically), but they're all ratios.

Of course, there are exceptions, like "We're open 24/7".

That forward slash, like a comma, is simply a separator in a list of two things. In other words, it's shorthand for "24 hours a day, every day of the week". It's not a ratio.

Now, I'll give you the short answer:

Yes, it means division.

What motivated your question?
 
weatherman232 said:
does 7/3 mean divison or does it mean sometihng completly diffrent
Click to expand...

Just add to the post above...

It is NOT division when you are writing date :mrgreen:

The point is - what is the context?
 
In algebra, we used the vinculum, fraction bar for those of you from Rio Linda, to represent division or a single term.

\(\displaystyle Example: \ \frac{a}{b} .\)
 
i was looking at this website "wikibooks.org" for a review and one section had a like a question and anwser thing and one of the questions told you to put -7/3<x<1/3 in interval notation
 
weatherman232 said:
one of the questions told you to put -7/3 < x < 1/3 in interval notation
Click to expand...

Ah, those are both Rational numbers, and interval notation for this open-ended set is: \(\displaystyle \left ( -\frac{7}{3}, \ \frac{1}{3} \right )\)

Alas, typing vincula is not easy, using a standard keyboard, without resorting to "drawing" fractions, like this:

7
---
3

That's why we type the virgule, instead (forward slash, for those who give credence to Limbaugh), when typing ratios using only a keyboard. 8-)

MY EDIT: Corrected sloppy spelling
 
mmm4444bot said:
Of course, there are exceptions, like "We're open 24/7".

That forward slash, like a comma, is simply a separator in a list of two things. In other words, it's shorthand for "24 hours a day, every day of the week". It's not a ratio.
Click to expand...

Actually, considering some of the units that I've seen in physics, maybe 24/7 is a compound ratio.

\(\displaystyle \frac{24}{7} \frac{\text{hour} \cdot \text{week}}{day^2}\)

(heh, heh)
 
Alas, typing vinculums is not easy, using a standard keyboard, without resorting to "drawing" fractions, like this:

Ahem, mmm4444bot, vinculums?? I think vincula would be more appropriate.
 
BigGlenntheHeavy said:
vinculums?? I think vincula would be more appropriate.
Click to expand...

Not only more appropriate, but acurate, too!

I corrected my error. (I briefly considered "vinculi", but it sounded funny.) Thank you.

.
 
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