I’m sure part of the reason is that mathematics was, and largely still is, written by hand. You can manipulate “code” more easily on paper with a terse, implici

I’m sure part of the reason is that mathematics was, and largely still is, written by hand. You can manipulate “code” more easily on paper with a terse, implicit notation. It can also have the advantage of engaging your visual pattern-matching abilities more than prose or prose-like notation.