When did plus and minus start to mean mathematical operations?

The first use of plus (+) & minus (-) math symbols dates back to the 14th century. While the multiplication (x) & division (/) operators were invented in the 16th century.

1. When were plus and minus signs invented?
2. Where did plus and minus signs originate?
3. Who invented plus minus multiply?
4. What does +/- mean in math?

When were plus and minus signs invented?

The plus and minus symbols only came into general use in England after they were used by Robert Recorde in in 1557 in The Whetstone of Witte. Recorde wrote, "There be other 2 signes in often use of which the first is made thus + and betokeneth more: the other is thus made - and betokeneth lesse."

Where did plus and minus signs originate?

The symbols (P with overline, p̄, for più (more), i.e., plus, and M with overline, m̄, for meno (less), i.e., minus) appeared for the first time in Luca Pacioli's mathematics compendium, Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalità, first printed and published in Venice in 1494.

Who invented plus minus multiply?

Modern methods for four fundamental operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) were first devised by Brahmagupta of India. This was known during medieval Europe as "Modus Indorum" or Method of the Indians.

What does +/- mean in math?

(mathematics) the symbol ±, meaning "plus or minus", used to indicate the precision of an approximation (as in "The result is 10 ± 0.3", meaning the result is anywhere in the inclusive range from 9.7 to 10.3), or as a convenient shorthand for a quantity with two possible values of opposing sign and identical magnitude ...