Naming Variables Badly
Three crimes of notation compared to bad names: a continuous variable called n (a cat called 'Technological Solutions LLC'), an input called f (a start-up called 'Catherine'), and a standard deviation called μ (a child called 'Señor Whiskers').
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Cartoon by Ben Orlin, Math with Bad Drawings. https://cartoons.mathwithbaddrawings.com/2017-03-01-naming-variables-badly/ (CC BY-NC 4.0)Transcript
[1] Naming a continuous variable "n"… [∫₁⁵ n dn = ½n² |₁⁵ = 12; d/dn n³ = 3n²; lim_{n→0} sin(n)/n = 1] "Ugh… I feel sick…" …is like naming a cat "Technological Solutions LLC." Cat: "Here, take my card."
[2] Naming the input variable into your function "f"… [graph with axes f and x: x(f) = f − f³] "But… why?" …is like naming your start-up company "Catherine." "Have you downloaded Catherine?" "Uh…"
[3] And naming the standard deviation of a distribution "μ"… [a bell curve labeled σ − 2μ, σ − μ, σ, σ + μ, σ + 2μ] …is like naming a child "Señor Whiskers." Child: "Why do the other kids make fun of my name?"