Quote:
Originally Posted by infinite monkey
NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL THEM DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A MATHEMATICAL EQUATION IF (THOSE THINGS] ARE CURVY OR SQUARED
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In an arithmetic context, () and [] are usually equivalent. Having different ones is handy if you have more than one set nested, to clarify which matches which. I believe it's fair to say that {} are many times equivalent and just serve as a third "layer" of grouping when needed.
However, there are many contexts in math when there's a difference, or at least a specific role. For example, ranges of numbers: [0,6] indicates a range including the endpoints, 0 and 6, while (0,6) indicates that the endpoints are not actually part of the range. When you get into matrices and other crap like that, there are definitely ways to change the meaning by changing the typography. Context and definition of terms are critical.