Ellipsis

Pronunciation: /ɪˈlɪp.sɪs/ Explain

An ellipsis is three dots (…) placed in a sequence or series of objects to indicate that there are more objects in the same pattern. An ellipsis can be placed at the beginning of a sequence, the middle of the sequence, and/or at the end of a sequence:

• Beginning - An ellipsis at the beginning of a sequence means that there are in infinite number of elements of the sequence before the elements that are listed. Example: {…, -3, -2, -1} includes all of the negative integers.
• Middle - An ellipsis in the middle of a sequence shows that there are a number of elements between the elements that are listed. Example: a, b, c, …, x, y, z can be used to mean all lower case letters.
• End - An ellipsis at the end of a sequence means that there are an infinite number of elements after the listed elements. Example: 1, 2, 3, … means all positive integers.
• Combinations - Multiple ellipses can be used to define sequences that are infinite in both directions, or to define sequences where more examples are needed. Example: …, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, … means all the negative and positive integers and zero.

References

1. McAdams, David E.. All Math Words Dictionary, ellipsis. 2nd Classroom edition 20150108-4799968. pg 69. Life is a Story Problem LLC. January 8, 2015. Buy the book

Cite this article as:

McAdams, David E. Ellipsis. 4/20/2019. All Math Words Encyclopedia. Life is a Story Problem LLC. https://www.allmathwords.org/en/e/ellipsis.html.

Revision History

4/20/2019: Updated expressions and equations to match new format. (McAdams, David E.)
12/21/2018: Reviewed and corrected IPA pronunication. (McAdams, David E.)
7/5/2018: Removed broken links, updated license, implemented new markup, implemented new Geogebra protocol. (McAdams, David E.)
6/2/2011: Initial version. (McAdams, David E.)