TITLE: What is the math notation for this type of function?
QUESTION [6 upvotes]: A function that turns a real number into another real number can be represented like $f : \mathbb{R}\to \mathbb{R}$
What is the analogous way to represent a function that turns an unordered pair of elements of positive integers each in $\{1,...,n\}$ into a real number?  I guess it would almost be something like $$f : \{1,...,n\} \times \{1,...,n\} \to \mathbb{R}$$ but is there a better notation that is more concise and that has the unorderedness?

REPLY [7 votes]: The set $\{1, \ldots ,N \}$ is often written as $[N]$, so this could be $f: \operatorname{Sym}^2([N]) \to \mathbb{R} $.  Here $\operatorname{Sym}$ means the symmetric product, that is, $\operatorname{Sym}^2(S)$ can be thought of as the set of unordered pairs of elements of $S$.