Models (in the sense of paradigms or archetypes) of the processes involved in mathematical modelling have been proposed by a number of authors. Many of these models have common features and a consensus is emerging. One stage of the modelling process is the formulation of a mathematical model from the original real problem situation. This paper concentrates on the role of the particular symbolic representation chosen for the mathematical model and points out the far‐reaching effects that notation may have for the complete modelling process.