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Asterisk


The asterisk *, also called a "star," is used for a number of different purposed in mathematics. The most common usage is to denote multiplication so, for example, 2*3=2×3=6.

When used as a superscript, the asterisk is commonly voiced "a-star." A raised asterisk is used to denote the adjoint a^*, or sometimes the complex conjugate.

A doubled asterisk a**b is used in the Wolfram Language to denote noncommutative multiplication. However, in FORTRAN, a doubled asterisk denotes exponentiation (Calderbank 1989, p. 29).


See also

Adjoint, Complex Conjugate, Exponentiation, Multiplication, Star

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References

Calderbank, V. J. Programming in FORTRAN, 3rd ed. London: Chapman and Hall, 1989.

Referenced on Wolfram|Alpha

Asterisk

Cite this as:

Weisstein, Eric W. "Asterisk." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/Asterisk.html

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