Scientific American spoke to Rojas about this history, the deeply engaging humanity of mathematics and the egos at play in defining the mathematical language we take for granted today.

Some common symbols and keywords are ... LaTeX is the mathematical markup language for precisely formatting complex mathematical expressions. Text is for those who prefer quick and straightforward ...

Learning basic math ... a more complex problem. For many people, math facts come easily. Some people with math disabilities, however, who lack an intuitive understanding of numbers or symbols ...