Everything about Formulae totally explained
In
mathematics and in the
sciences, a
formula (plural:
formulae,
formulæ or
formulas) is a concise way of expressing information symbolically (as in a mathematical or
chemical formula), or a general relationship between quantities. One of many famous formulae is
Albert Einstein's
E = mc² (see
special relativity).
In mathematics
In
mathematics, a formula is a key to solve an
equation with variables. For example, the problem of determining the
volume of a
sphere is one that requires a significant amount of
integral calculus to solve. However, having done this once, mathematicians can produce a formula to describe the volume in terms of some other parameter (the
radius for example). This particular formula is:
»
(The
in this formula is the quantity
pi). Having determined this result, and having a sphere of which we know the radius we can quickly and easily determine the volume. Note that the quantities
, the volume, and
the radius are expressed as single letters. This convention, while less important in a relatively simple formula, means that mathematicians can more quickly manipulate larger and more complex formulae.
In general mathematical use there's no essential difference in meaning with the term "
expression", although the word "formula" tends to be reserved for an expression that "can stand on its own", that has a meaning outside of the immediate context in which it appears and a significance that can be grasped intuitively.
The majority of all mathematical study revolves around formulae in many different forms from
quadratic equations to the equations of motion (mainly used in mechanical mathematics and
physics). In a general context, formulae are applied to provide a mathematical solution for real world problems. Some may be general formulae designed to explain a phenomenon experienced everywhere - an example is force = mass × acceleration. It is a formula which applies anywhere in the universe. Other formulae may be specially created to solve a particular problem - for example using the equation of a
sine curve to model the movement of the tides in a bay. In all cases however, formulae form the basis for all calculations.
In computing
In
computing, a formula typically describes a calculation, such as addition, to be performed on two or more variables. A formula is often implicitly provided in the form of a
computer instruction such as
» Total fruit =
number of Apples +
number of Oranges.
In computer
spreadsheet terminology, a formula is usually a
text string containing
cell references, for example
» =A1+A2
where both A1 and A2 describe "cells" (column A, row 1 or 2) within the spreadsheet. The result appears within the cell containing the formula itself (possibly A3, at end of values in column A). The
= sign precedes the right hand side of the formula indicating the cell contains a formula rather than data. The left hand side of the formula is, by convention, omitted because the result is always stored in the cell itself and would be redundant.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Formulae'.
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