Formuloj

Formuloj, the plural of formulo in Esperanto, are symbolic expressions that encode quantitative relations and rules used to compute values, describe laws, or express definitions across mathematics, science, and engineering. A formulo combines numbers, variables, constants, operators, and functions into a compact notation. When evaluating a formulo, one substitutes numerical values for the variables and follows the rules of arithmetic and algebra.

Formuloj serve several purposes. They can state a calculation rule (for example, area formulas, speed formulas, or chemical formulas), define a quantity, or express a mathematical identity. They may appear as plain equations, functional expressions, or more complex notations such as summations and products. Notation is flexible, but standard symbols and conventions help communicate unambiguously.

Common examples include the area of a circle, A = πr²; the quadratic formula, x = (-b ± sqrt(b² - 4ac)) / 2a; or Ohm’s law, V = IR. In science and engineering, formuloj also describe relationships among physical properties, reaction stoichiometry, or conversion factors. Formuloj can be exact or approximate, and they can be conditional or derived from deeper principles.

Formuloj differ from algorithms or procedures in that they express a direct relationship rather than a sequence of steps. They are central in education, research, and computational work, where they enable concise communication of how quantities depend on one another and how to compute results from given data.