Unicode character
Also known as MINUS-OR-PLUS SIGN · minus or plus
16 statements · 44% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations
2 identifiers linking ∓ across the web's reference databases
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The plus–minus sign or plus-or-minus sign and the complementary minus-or-plus sign are symbols with broadly similar multiple meanings.In mathematics, the ± sign generally indicates a choice of exactly two possible values, one of which is obtained through addition and the other through subtraction. The ∓ is typically used only in tandem with the ± sign and indicates that in the case that the ± is a +, the ∓ would be a −. In statistics and experimental sciences, the ± sign commonly indicates the confidence interval or uncertainty bounding a range of possible errors in a measurement, often the standard deviation or standard error. The sign may also represent an inclusive range of values that a reading might have. In chess, the ± sign indicates a clear advantage for the white player; the complementary minus-plus sign indicates a clear advantage for the black player.