Symbols:Arithmetic and Algebra/Approximation

Approximation

$a \approx b$

An approximation is an estimate of a quantity.

It is usually the case that there exists some knowledge about the accuracy of the estimate.

The notation:

$a \approx b$

indicates that $b$ is an approximation to $a$.

The $\LaTeX$ code for \(a \approx b\) is a \approx b .

Variant

$\cong$

A variant notation for the indication that $b$ is an approximation to $a$ is:

$a \cong b$

The $\LaTeX$ code for \(a \cong b\) is a \cong b .

Sources

• 2008: David Nelson: The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics (4th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Appendix: Table $7$: Common signs and symbols: approximation
• 2014: Christopher Clapham and James Nicholson: The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics (5th ed.) ... (previous) ... (next): Appendix $14$: Symbols