According to a Wikipedia article on the subject, in Herbert B. Enderton's book Computability: An Introduction to Recursion Theory (2011), even if nowhere else (no other reference is given, and I've never seen the usage):

If is a partial function on and is an element of , then this is written as and is read as " is defined."

If is not in the domain of , then this is written as and is read as " is undefined".

Answer from Calum Gilhooley on Stack Exchange

According to a Wikipedia article on the subject, in Herbert B. Enderton's book Computability: An Introduction to Recursion Theory (2011), even if nowhere else (no other reference is given, and I've never seen the usage):

If is a partial function on and is an element of , then this is written as and is read as " is defined."

If is not in the domain of , then this is written as and is read as " is undefined".

Answer from Calum Gilhooley on Stack Exchange
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Undefined_(mathematics)
Undefined (mathematics) - Wikipedia
November 4, 2025 - Attempting to assign or use an undefined value within a particular formal system, may produce contradictory or meaningless results within that system. In practice, mathematicians may use the term undefined to warn that a particular calculation or property can produce mathematically inconsistent ...
People also ask

What does it mean when expression is undefined?
An expression that is undefined means that the denominator of the expression is equal to zero. Therefore, the expression cannot be determined at that value.
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study.com
study.com › courses › math courses › math 101: college algebra
Undefined Expressions & Numbers in Math | Functions & Examples ...
What is an example of an undefined expression?
Any expression where a fraction looks like this: x/0 is an undefined expression. Likewise, if there is a polynomial in the denominator, such as 1/x, the expression is undefined when x=0.
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study.com
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Undefined Expressions & Numbers in Math | Functions & Examples ...
How do you know if the expression is undefined?
A function is undefined when the denominator is equal to zero. If there are variables in the denominator, the point at which the expression in the denominator is zero is the point where that function is undefined.
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study.com
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Undefined Expressions & Numbers in Math | Functions & Examples ...
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Wolfram MathWorld
mathworld.wolfram.com › Undefined.html
Undefined -- from Wolfram MathWorld
January 31, 2000 - An expression in mathematics which does not have meaning and so which is not assigned an interpretation. For example, division by zero is undefined in the field of real numbers.
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-maths-symbol-for-undefined
What is the maths symbol for undefined? - Quora
Answer (1 of 6): There is no generally accepted symbol for "undefined." In math, this term refers to a value that is not assigned to any specific number. For example, if you try to calculate the value of pi using an infinite series, you will ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/math › what is "undefined"?
r/math on Reddit: What is "undefined"?
May 2, 2018 -

Okay, so this question came out of a question I had about how np.NaN behaves in the numpy python library. Apparently np.NaN is defined to behave like "undefined" in math, which leads to the counterintuitive - to me at least - result that np.NaN does not equal itself.

So

 undefined != undefined...

We also know things like

x/0=undefined (or maybe we can't use equality here? x/0 *is* undefined?)

That means that we know some things about it...whatever it is. What branch of math do we use to learn things about "undefined"?

What kind of formal system does "undefined" belong to? Is it a theorem in ZFC set theory? Like is it some kind of set? Its not the "null" set right?

I hope I have made my profound ignorance on this subject clear enough, maybe someone here can meet me 99% of the way and help drag me toward the light.

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Math Wiki
math.fandom.com › wiki › Undefined
Undefined | Math Wiki | Fandom
October 29, 2024 - Undefined is a term used when a mathematical result has no meaning. More precisely, undefined "values" occur when an expression is evaluated for input values outside of its domain. − 9 {\displaystyle \sqrt{-9}} (If no complex numbers) ln ⁡ ( − 4 ) {\displaystyle \ln(-4)} (If no complex numbers) tan ⁡ ( π / 2 ) {\displaystyle \tan(\pi/2)} (Units in radians, no complex infinity) n 0 {\displaystyle \frac{n}{0}} (If no complex infinity).
Find elsewhere
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Study.com
study.com › courses › math courses › math 101: college algebra
Undefined Expressions & Numbers in Math | Functions & Examples - Lesson | Study.com
July 16, 2014 - Without going into how to factor cube equations, the equation{eq}\dfrac{1}{2x^3-8x^2-14x+20}=(x+2)(x-5)(2x-2) {/eq} results in three values that are undefined: {eq}x=-2, 5, 1 {/eq}. The graph of this function is very interesting: To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Create your account · An undefined expression is a mathematical expression (a combination of numbers and variables with an arithmetic operation included) that has no answer or cannot be determined.
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Brainly
brainly.com › mathematics › high school › what is the symbol for undefined?
[FREE] What is the symbol for undefined? - brainly.com
The term 'undefined' in mathematics describes operations without a meaningful value, commonly seen in division by zero. It is represented with symbols like 'undefined' or '∅', which indicates an empty set.
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Math Forums
mathforums.com › home › high school math › algebra
What does "undefined" mean? | Math Forums
June 27, 2023 - Click to expand... Something that is "undefined" in Mathematics says that it literally has no meaning. So by saying 8/0 is undefined, we are saying that it has no value: it's not a number, it's not a symbol, it's not anything at all.
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Wolfram Language
reference.wolfram.com › language › ref › Undefined.html.en
Undefined
Undefined is a symbol that represents a quantity with no defined value.
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Math Answers
math.answers.com › other-math › What_does_it_mean_when_a_math_problem_is_undefined
What does it mean when a math problem is undefined? - Answers
Simplified answer: if any number ... horizontal, it's slope is undefined. ... The mathematical symbol for "undefined" is the infinity symbol....
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The Philosophy Forum
thephilosophyforum.com › discussion › 2981
<the objectivity of mathematics and the undefined symbol>
In the theory of computation (for me math at its most objective), the symbol is often left formally undefined. By 'symbol' I mean a single character like 'a' or '1.' (It is also allowable to understand '1de' as a single symbol. We'd be creating a new glyph from familiar glyphs. )Once a symbol is...
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Pinterest
pinterest.com › pin › symbol-for-undefined-in-math-what-it-means--1004865735606159793
Symbol for Undefined in Math: What It Means!
November 8, 2024 - Undefined in math often arises from division by zero. Learn why this happens, its symbol representation, and how to avoid common mistakes in calculations.
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Workybooks
workybooks.com › explore › resources › math vocabulary
Undefined - Definition, Examples, Quiz, FAQ, Trivia
July 22, 2025 - In mathematics, "undefined" means that an expression doesn't have a meaningful answer. It's like asking a question that can't be answered, such as "What color is Tuesday?" Some things just don't make sense in math, and that's when we say they're undefined. For example, if you try to divide a number by zero, like 5 ÷ 0, there's no possible answer.