Mathematics is the art of generalizing phenomenons and concepts. One of the most representative symbols in mathematics is the letter x, and it perfectly encapsulates the idea of generalization: we might observe the area of a square with side length 3 to be 3 times 3, and the area of a square with side length 5 to be 5 times 5, so we might extrapolate and claim that the area of any square is its side length times itself, or in short: the area of a square with side length x is x times x, demonstrating how the symbol x is related to generalization.