Why do we let everything X?

[Sanjeev]

I was teaching math to my daughter and was wondering why we assume unknown things as X. Is there any logic behind it? Why don't we assume them as A, B, or C? Don't you wonder why it is so?

From my point of view, because it looks like a unique letter, that's why we use it as an unknown quantity. What are your views?

 

[arunima25]

Hmm....nice question. Even I would wonder about it. We would go for X. And if it is more than one assumption, we move to choose y,z,a,b,c later. But X is the first choice. Maybe it has become a habit passed on from generation to generation and has become more of a mathematical ritual. It would be interesting to find out how this started. And interestingly, it is a global thing irrespective of places and culture.

 

[Kennysplash]

The concept of mathematics using X is one that has evolved over time. From what I was told by my maths teacher years ago, it’s because of the origin it has with Arabic language. There is a correlation with X and the language, and since the language has been around for a long time it was integrated into mathematics.