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In elementary algebra, parentheses ( ) are used to specify the order of operations. [1] Terms inside the bracket are evaluated first; hence 2×(3 + 4) is 14, 20 ÷ (5(1 + 1)) is 2 and (2×3) + 4 is 10. This notation is extended to cover more general algebra involving variables: for example (x + y) × (x − y). Square brackets are also often ...
Parentheses can be nested, and should be evaluated from the inside outward. For legibility, outer parentheses can be made larger than inner parentheses. Alternately, other grouping symbols, such as curly braces { } or square brackets [ ], are sometimes used along with parentheses ( ). For example:
Parentheses have historically been used where the em dash is currently used in alternatives, such as "parenthesis)(parentheses". Examples of this usage can be seen in editions of Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage. Parentheses may be nested (generally with one set (such as this) inside another set).
If (X) < 0, then X is negative.. WARNING: in the following line, 1 is first set to {{large|X}} and then because "210" is the first unlabelled positional argument, the value of 1 is overwritten and replaced by "210" (which is why 210 appears inside the parentheses) while the positional argument 2 is never assigned a value (which is why the parentheses have their usual size).
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For example, in the expression 3(x+y) the parentheses are symbols of grouping, but in the expression (3, 5) the parentheses may indicate an open interval. The most common symbols of grouping are the parentheses and the square brackets, and the latter are usually used to avoid too many repeated parentheses.
See § Brackets for examples of use. Most symbols have two printed versions. They can be displayed as Unicode characters, or in LaTeX format. With the Unicode version, using search engines and copy-pasting are easier. On the other hand, the LaTeX rendering is often much better (more aesthetic), and is generally considered a standard in mathematics.
The parentheses are a grouping mechanism, so we can quantify more than just the previous character, and so we can make boundaries for a set of alternative matches. (See alternation below.) The quotation marks are an escape mechanism, like square brackets or the backslash.