What it means
Between a variable and a distribution, ∼ means "is distributed as". Between two quantities it can mean "is of the same order as" or "is similar to". Over a letter, as in x̃, it marks a modified or approximate version of x.
Read aloud in real formulas
X ∼ N(0, 1)
Aethel says
X is distributed as N of 0, 1
X has a standard normal distribution
Y ∼ Bin(n, p)
Aethel says
Y is distributed as Bin of n, p
Y is binomial with n tries and probability p
Typing it
- LaTeX
- \sim, \tilde{x}
- Unicode
- U+223C, U+0303
Questions
How do you say ∼ out loud?
It is usually read “is distributed as”, and also “is similar to” or “tilde”.
What does ∼ mean in maths?
Between a variable and a distribution, ∼ means "is distributed as". Between two quantities it can mean "is of the same order as" or "is similar to". Over a letter, as in x̃, it marks a modified or approximate version of x.
How do you type ∼?
In LaTeX, write \sim, \tilde{x}. Its Unicode code point is U+223C, U+0303.