> Consider what may be the simplest of English words: "I", referring to the author or speaker of a sentence. What does this simple word mean in the language of mathematics and physics?
>
> - The square root of negative one.
>
> - The set of numbers created by multiplying all real numbers by the square root of negative one.
>
> - Any interval of numbers [a, b] on a number line.
>
> - The location of an image created by reflection or refraction.
>
> - The component of a vector expressed in vector notation along the x-axis.
>
> - An atom containing 53 protons; Iodine.
>
> - The moment of inertia for an object.
>
> Plus I probably forgot some.
>

A couple of others: electrical current (for which reason the imaginary unit is sometimes denoted j) and the indices of summations, programming for-loops, etc..

> A similar exercise could be carried out with pretty much any letter in the Roman alphabet. Conclusions? I think that they should teach mathematicians and physicists kanji.
>
> -SB

'i' may be the most overloaded letter in mathematics, with the possible exception of 'x', which is used just about everywhere. But really, symbols are just symbols; you could change most of them around as long as you keep your definitions explicitly stated. Mathematics does have it's own unique set of vocabulary, and is somewhat like a language, but I don't think that the multiple uses of single letters in different contexts is the same as having homonyms in other languages.

-- gremlinn