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Formula

Concise way of expressing information symbolically / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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In science, a formula is a concise way of expressing information symbolically, as in a mathematical formula or a chemical formula. The informal use of the term formula in science refers to the general construct of a relationship between given quantities.

A sphere
Isobutane
On the left is a sphere, whose volume V is given by the mathematical formula V = 4/3 π r3. On the right is the compound isobutane, which has chemical formula (CH3)3CH.
Edsger_Dijkstra_1994.jpg
One of the most influential figures of computing science's founding generation, Edsger Dijkstra at the blackboard during a conference at ETH Zurich in 1994. In Dijkstra's own words, "A picture may be worth a thousand words, a formula is worth a thousand pictures."[1]

The plural of formula can be either formulas (from the most common English plural noun form) or, under the influence of scientific Latin, formulae (from the original Latin).[2]