MATH VOCABULARY

By: De’Aja Koontz

6Th Period

INTEGER A member of the set of positive whole

numbers {1, 2, 3, . . . }, negative whole numbers {-1, -2, -3, . . . }, and zero {0}.

RATIONAL NUMBERS A number that can expressed exactly by

a ratio of two integers.

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION A method for expressing a given

quantity as a number having significant digits necessary for a specified degree of accuracy, multiplied by 10 to the appropriate power, as 1385.62 written as 1.386 × 10 3  .

PERFECT SQUARE A rational number that is equal to the

square of another rational number.

IRRATIONAL NUMBERS A number that cannot be exactly

expressed as a ratio of two integers.

REAL NUMBERS A rational number or the limit of a

sequence of rational numbers, as opposed to a complex number.

DENSITY PROPERTY The property that states that there

always exists another rational number between any two given rational numbers. This means that the set of rational numbers is dense.

ADJACENT ANGLES Two angles that have the same vertex

and a side in common.

COEFFICIENT a number or quantity placed (generally)

before and multiplying another quantity, as 3  in the expression 3x.

DISTANCE FORMULA The distance between two points (x1, y1)

and (x2, y2) in the Cartesian coordinate system can be given by: [(x1 - x2)2 + (y1 - y2)2]1/2.

DOMAIN The set of all possible input values for a

function or relation.

HYPOTENUSE The side opposite the right angle in a

right triangle.

LEGS OF A RIGHT TRIANGLE Either of the two sides that form the

right angle in a right triangle or one of the two congruent sides in an isosceles triangle.

RATIONAL NUMBER A number that can be written as a

fraction, or as finite or repeating decimals.

RANGE The difference between the maximum

and minimum values in a set of data.

SLOPE Another name for gradient.

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION A method for expressing a given

quantity as a number having significant digits necessary for a specified degree of accuracy, multiplied by 10 to the appropriate power, as 1385.62 written as 1.386 × 10 3  .

PRISM A space figure with two parallel

polygonal bases that are the same shape and the same size.

SCATTER PLOT Data that is plotted as points on a graph

to show a possible relationship between two sets of data.

SLOPE INTERCEPT FORM the equation of a straight line in the

form y = mx + b where m is the slope of the line and b is its y-intercept.

ABSOLUTE VALUE The magnitude of a number regardless

of its sign. Hence, the absolute value of a number "n" is always positive or zero, written as |n|. When the number "n" is represented on a number line, its absolute value is the distance from the origin to that number.

EXPONENT A number used to indicate the number

of times a term is used as a factor to multiply itself. The exponent is normally placed as a superscript after the term.

PRODUCT The result obtained when multiplying

numbers, vectors, matrices, etc.

PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM A theorem stating that in a right triangle

the area of the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the areas of the squares drawn on the other two legs.

ACUTE TRIANGLE A triangle in which all three interior

angles are acute (less than 90°).

PROBABILITYThe likelihood or chance of a given event happening. It is often expressed as a fraction or decimal. The probability that m particular events will occur out of a total of n possible events is m/n. A certainty means that, out of n possible events, all the events (n events) will happen. Therefore, a certainty has a probability of 1 (n/n = 1). Similarly, an impossibility has a probability of 0 because none will happen out of the total n possible events (0/n = 0).

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FACTOR A number that can divide into another

number with no remainder.

VARIABLE A symbol that stands for an unknown

quantity. When we make a mathematics equation out of an ordinary statement by using a variable(s), it makes the thinking process mechanized and automatic, thus making the solution process much easier.

EVALUATE Find the value of an algebraic

expression by replacing the variable(s) with the correct numerical value(s) to perform the operation.

QUOTIENT The number resulting from division.

ACUTE ANGLE An angle with a measure between 0°

and 90°.

CONGRUENT Planar figures or solid shapes that have

the same shape and size.

RECIPROCAL A number related to another in such a

way that when these two numbers are multiplied together their product is 1.

VERTEX A point at which the two rays of an

angle meet or the intersection point of two sides of a plane figure.

POLYGON A closed plane figure bounded by at

least three line segments.

SCALENE TRIANGLE A triangle having no two sides equal.

AREA The surface included within a closed

figure, measured by the number of square units needed to cover the surface.

PERIMETER The length of the boundary around a

shape or a figure.

CIRCUMFERENCE The boundary line of a circle or the

length of such a boundary line.

OBTUSE ANGLE An angle that is between 90° and 180°.

COMPLEMENTARY ANGLE A pair of angles that add up to 90°.

OCTAGON A eight-sided polygon. A regular octagon

is a polygon that has eight equal sides and eight equal angles.

PENTAGON A polygon with five sides.

RIGHT TRIANGLE A triangle one of whose interior angles

is 90°.

RHOMBUS A four-sided plane figure whose four

sides are equal.

LOWEST TERMS The numerator and denominator of a

fraction that have had all common factors but 1 factored out and canceled.

X&Y AXIS A line about which a curve or an object

may rotate or revolve.