> I can search the words. I can ask people what the words mean. If don’t even know what the symbols are called then how do I begin?
Usually by looking at the words that surround the equation. Most math texts will introduce notation in words, and it's common to repeat something in words and notation (e.g. 'let the field extension L/k...'). I have studied math for five years and I don't think I ever had the problem of not knowing how to search for something. The only problem I had with notation was finding the LaTeX code for a specific symbol, but other than that the bigger problem were the concepts.
> I couldn’t ask what a symbol meant when I couldn’t say what the symbol was. I couldn’t write down a symbol whose name was read out when I didn’t know what it should look like.
In my classes these problems were usually solved by asking "what's that wiggly thingy" or "how do you write 'alpha'".
And the greek alphabet is not used because mathematicians like to annoy people. There are certain customs for how objects are notated. x,y,z for unknowns/variables; f,g,h for variables; α,β for angles; A,B for matrices; G, H for groups... They are used because, even though they might be harder for beginners, they aren't harder than the concepts they're describing and help a lot in reducing the cognitive load when reading things.
Not sure whether you're being sarcastic, but in case you are:
The internet, including this forum, is chock-full of people making useless comments like "well I like it" or "it works for me", just asserting their views or experiences while advancing no argument and offering no discussion.
The post you just replied to is not doing that.
The poster you replied to is taking the time to describe and explain his experiences and their implications. He's contributed a lot more to the conversation than you have, and doesn't deserve sarcasm.
You weren't sure whether I was being sarcastic, yet you /are/ sure that the post I sarcastically responded to was written in the spirit of contribution, and was not itself insincere.
Usually by looking at the words that surround the equation. Most math texts will introduce notation in words, and it's common to repeat something in words and notation (e.g. 'let the field extension L/k...'). I have studied math for five years and I don't think I ever had the problem of not knowing how to search for something. The only problem I had with notation was finding the LaTeX code for a specific symbol, but other than that the bigger problem were the concepts.
There are also glossaries at the end of books and in some specialized pages too (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_mathematical_symbo...)
> I couldn’t ask what a symbol meant when I couldn’t say what the symbol was. I couldn’t write down a symbol whose name was read out when I didn’t know what it should look like.
In my classes these problems were usually solved by asking "what's that wiggly thingy" or "how do you write 'alpha'".
And the greek alphabet is not used because mathematicians like to annoy people. There are certain customs for how objects are notated. x,y,z for unknowns/variables; f,g,h for variables; α,β for angles; A,B for matrices; G, H for groups... They are used because, even though they might be harder for beginners, they aren't harder than the concepts they're describing and help a lot in reducing the cognitive load when reading things.