The symbol "()" is known as parentheses. They are used in writing to enclose additional information, clarifications, or asides that are not essential to the main point. This helps to keep the main text clear while providing extra context or details. In mathematics, parentheses serve a different purpose. They indicate the order of operations, showing which calculations should be performed first. For example, in the expression 2 + (3 × 4), the multiplication inside the parentheses is done before the addition, leading to a correct result of 14.