245 math terms
Math Glossary
Use this page when a math word is unfamiliar or when you need a quick reminder. Every definition uses the same student-friendly wording as the blue, underlined terms in the class notes.
245 terms found
A
- Absolute value
- A number’s distance from zero. Distance cannot be negative, so absolute value is never negative.Units 4, 5
- Additive inverses
- Two numbers whose sum is zero, such as 6 and −6. Each number undoes the other in addition.Units 4, 5
- Algebraic expression
- A math phrase made of numbers, variables, and operation symbols, but no equals sign.Units 0, 5
- Approximately symmetric
- A distribution whose left and right sides have roughly the same shape.Unit 9
- Area
- The amount of flat surface a shape covers, measured in square units.Units 0, 8
- Area scale factor
- The multiplier that compares areas of similar figures. It is the square of the linear scale factor.Units 6, 8
- Association
- A pattern in which two variables tend to change together. Association alone does not prove that one causes the other.Unit 9
- Average speed
- The total distance traveled divided by the total time used.Unit 6
B
- Bar graph
- A graph with separated bars used to compare amounts in different categories.Unit 9
- Base area
- The area of the base face used in a prism’s volume formula.Units 0, 8
- Base of a power
- The number or variable used as the repeated factor in a power.Unit 5
- Benchmark
- A familiar value, such as 0, one-half, or 1, used to compare or estimate other values.Unit 0
- Bias
- A problem in a question or sampling method that unfairly pushes results in one direction.Unit 9
- Bimodal
- Having two values or categories tied for the greatest frequency.Unit 9
- Bin
- One number interval used to group data values in a histogram.Unit 9
- Box plot
- A display of the five-number summary with a box showing the middle half of the data.Unit 9
- Break-even point
- The point where two costs are equal, or where money earned exactly equals money spent.Unit 10
C
- Categorical data
- Data that sort observations into names or groups instead of measuring them with numbers.Unit 9
- Causation
- A relationship in which changing one thing actually produces a change in another.Unit 9
- Closed circle
- A filled circle on a number line showing that the endpoint is included.Unit 4
- Cluster
- A region of a graph where many data values are grouped close together.Unit 9
- Coefficient
- The number multiplying a variable. In 7x, the coefficient is 7.Unit 5
- Commission
- Money earned as a percent of the amount sold.Unit 7
- Common denominator
- A denominator shared by two or more fractions.Units 0, 3
- Common factor
- A whole number that divides each of two or more numbers with no remainder.Units 0, 3
- Common multiple
- A number that is a multiple of each of two or more given numbers.Units 0, 3
- Complement percent
- The percent still needed to reach 100%. For example, the complement of 35% is 65%.Unit 7
- Composite figure
- A figure built from two or more simpler shapes.Unit 8
- Composite number
- A whole number greater than 1 that has more than two positive factors.Unit 3
- Congruent figures
- Figures with exactly the same shape and size.Unit 8
- Conjecture
- A mathematical statement that seems true from examples but still needs an explanation or proof.Unit 3
- Consecutive integers
- Integers in order with a difference of 1, such as 6, 7, and 8.Unit 5
- Constant
- A fixed number that does not change.Unit 5
- Constant of proportionality
- The fixed number that multiplies one quantity to produce the other in a proportional relationship.Unit 6
- Constraint
- A rule or limit that a possible answer must follow.Units 1, 10
- Continuous data
- Numerical data found by measuring. These data can include values between whole numbers.Unit 9
- Convenience sample
- A sample made from whoever is easiest to reach. It may not represent the whole population fairly.Unit 9
- Conversion factor
- A fraction made from two equal measurements and used to change units, such as 12 inches over 1 foot.Unit 6
- Coordinate plane
- A horizontal and vertical number line that meet at right angles and locate points with ordered pairs.Units 4, 6
- Corresponding angles
- Angles in matching positions in two figures.Unit 6
- Corresponding sides
- Sides in matching positions in two figures.Unit 6
- Cross multiplication
- A method that multiplies diagonally across two fractions or a proportion to form two products.Units 3, 6
- Cubic unit
- The amount of space inside a cube whose length, width, and height are each 1 unit.Units 0, 8
D
- Data set
- A collection of values or categories gathered for study.Units 9, 10
- Decimal
- A number written with a decimal point to show whole-number places and parts smaller than one.Units 0, 2, 7
- Decimal point
- The dot that separates whole-number places from tenths, hundredths, and smaller places.Units 0, 2
- Decimal quotient
- A division answer written with decimal places.Unit 2
- Decrease multiplier
- The decimal factor 1 − r used to apply a percent decrease when r is the decimal rate.Unit 7
- Denominator
- The bottom number in a fraction. It tells how many equal parts make one whole.Units 0, 3
- Dependency chain
- A plan showing which results must be found before later steps can begin.Unit 1
- Dimensional analysis
- A unit-conversion method that multiplies by conversion factors so unwanted units cancel.Unit 6
- Discount
- An amount taken away from an original price.Unit 7
- Discrete data
- Numerical data found by counting separate values, such as the number of books.Unit 9
- Distribution
- The overall shape made by data values, including their center, spread, clusters, gaps, and unusual values.Unit 9
- Distributive property
- A property that multiplies the factor outside parentheses by every term inside.Unit 5
- Dividend
- The number being divided in a division problem.Units 0, 2
- Divisibility rule
- A quick test for deciding whether one whole number divides another with no remainder.Unit 3
- Divisible
- A number is divisible by another number when the quotient is a whole number with no remainder.Unit 3
- Divisor
- The number that the dividend is divided by.Units 0, 2
E
- Edge
- A line segment forming a boundary. On a solid, an edge is where two faces meet.Unit 8
- Egyptian fraction
- A sum of different unit fractions.Unit 3
- Endpoint
- The boundary value where a number-line graph or ray begins or ends.Unit 4
- Equal measurement
- Another name for measurement division: finding how many groups of a given size fit into a total.Unit 2
- Equal sharing
- Dividing a total equally to find how much belongs in each group.Unit 2
- Equation
- A mathematical statement saying that two expressions have the same value.Units 0, 5, 6
- Equivalent equations
- Equations that have exactly the same solution set.Unit 5
- Equivalent expressions
- Expressions that have the same value for every allowed value of their variables.Unit 5
- Equivalent fractions
- Fractions that look different but name the same amount.Units 0, 3
- Equivalent ratios
- Ratios that look different but describe the same comparison.Unit 6
- Estimate
- A close, reasonable answer used when an exact answer is not needed or to check whether an exact answer makes sense.Units 0, 2
- Euler’s relationship
- For many solid figures, vertices minus edges plus faces equals 2.Unit 8
- Evaluate
- To find the numerical value of an expression.Units 0, 5
- Expanded form
- A way to write a number as the sum of the value of each nonzero digit.Unit 0
- Experiment
- A study in which researchers assign a treatment and observe what happens.Unit 9
- Exponent
- The small raised number in a power that tells how many times the base is used as a factor.Unit 5
- Expression
- A mathematical phrase made of numbers, symbols, or variables without an equals sign.Units 0, 5
F
- Face
- A flat polygon-shaped surface of a three-dimensional figure.Unit 8
- Factor
- A number or expression multiplied by another. A whole-number factor also divides a product with no remainder.Units 0, 3, 5
- Factor pair
- Two whole numbers whose product is a given number.Units 0, 3
- Factoring
- Rewriting a sum or difference as a multiplication expression.Unit 5
- Five-number summary
- The minimum, lower quartile, median, upper quartile, and maximum of a data set.Unit 9
- Fraction
- A number that tells how many equal-sized parts are being counted.Units 0, 3, 6, 7
- Frequency
- The number of times a value or category appears in a data set.Units 9, 10
- Frequency table
- A table that lists values or categories and how often each one appears.Unit 9
G
- Gap
- An interval in or near a data display that contains no observations.Unit 9
- Geometric base
- The side or face chosen to use with a perpendicular height in an area or volume formula.Unit 8
- Greatest common factor (GCF)
- The largest positive factor shared by all the given numbers.Units 0, 3
- Grouping symbols
- Symbols such as parentheses, brackets, and fraction bars that show which parts belong together.Units 0, 5
H
- Hidden question
- A smaller question that must be answered before the final question can be solved.Unit 1
- Histogram
- A graph with touching bars that shows numerical data grouped into intervals.Unit 9
I
- Identity equation
- An equation that is true for every allowed value of its variable.Unit 5
- Improper fraction
- A fraction whose numerator is at least as large as its denominator.Units 0, 3
- Increase multiplier
- The decimal factor 1 + r used to apply a percent increase when r is the decimal rate.Unit 7
- Inequality
- A mathematical statement that compares values using symbols such as <, >, ≤, or ≥.Unit 4
- Infinitely many solutions
- An equation has infinitely many solutions when there is no end to the different values that make it true. In an identity equation, every allowed value is a solution.Unit 5
- Integer
- A number in the set ..., −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, ... . Integers include zero, the positive counting numbers, and their opposites.Units 4, 5
- Intermediate quantity
- An answer from one step that is needed to complete a later step.Units 0, 1
- Interquartile range (IQR)
- The distance from the lower quartile to the upper quartile, found by subtracting Q1 from Q3.Unit 9
- Interval
- A span of numbers between stated lower and upper boundaries.Units 9, 10
- Inverse operations
- Operations that undo each other, such as addition and subtraction or multiplication and division.Units 0, 1, 5
K
- KNOWS
- The course organizer for recording what we Know, what we Need, the Organization or Operations, the Work, and the Solution.Units 0, 1
L
- Ladder method
- A method that repeatedly divides numbers by shared prime factors to help find a GCF or LCM.Unit 3
- Lateral face
- A side face of a prism or pyramid that is not a base.Unit 8
- Least common denominator
- The smallest positive denominator that two or more fractions can share.Units 0, 3
- Least common multiple (LCM)
- The smallest positive multiple shared by all the given numbers.Unit 3
- Like denominators
- Denominators that are the same.Unit 3
- Like terms
- Terms with exactly the same variables raised to the same powers.Unit 5
- Line plot
- A number-line display that places a mark above each data value.Unit 9
- Linear scale factor
- The multiplier applied to every matching length in a scaled figure.Units 6, 8
- Linked ratios
- Ratios that share a quantity and can be joined after the shared ratio parts are made equal.Unit 6
- Long division
- A written division method that repeats divide, multiply, subtract, and bring down.Units 0, 2
- Lower quartile (Q1)
- The middle value of the lower half of an ordered data set.Unit 9
M
- Markup
- An amount added to a cost to set a higher selling price.Unit 7
- Mathematical model
- A diagram, table, expression, or equation that shows the important relationships in a situation.Unit 1
- Mean
- The total of the data values shared equally among the number of values.Unit 9
- Mean absolute deviation (MAD)
- The average distance of the data values from their mean.Unit 9
- Measure of center
- A number, such as the mean or median, that describes a typical middle of a data set.Unit 9
- Measurement conversion
- Renaming the same amount using a different unit.Unit 0
- Measurement division
- Division used to find how many groups of a given size fit into a total.Unit 2
- Median
- The middle value after the data are placed in order. With two middle values, use their mean.Unit 9
- Mixed number
- A number that combines a whole number and a proper fraction.Units 0, 3
- Modal interval
- The interval in a grouped data display that has the greatest frequency.Unit 9
- Mode
- The value or category that appears most often in a data set.Unit 9
- Multiple
- The product of a given number and a whole number.Unit 3
- Multiplier
- A number used to multiply a quantity. In percent problems, it can combine the starting amount and the change into one step.Units 2, 7
N
- Negative number
- A number less than zero, located to the left of zero on a number line.Unit 4
- Net
- A flat arrangement of all a solid’s faces that can fold to make the solid.Unit 8
- No solution
- A result showing that no value can make an equation true.Unit 5
- Nonresponse
- A sampling problem that occurs when selected people do not answer and their missing answers may affect the results.Unit 9
- Number line
- A straight line whose points represent numbers in order.Unit 4
- Numerator
- The top number in a fraction. It tells how many equal parts are being counted.Units 0, 3
- Numerical data
- Data made from counts or measurements written as numbers.Unit 9
O
- Observation
- One recorded person, object, trial, or data value in a study.Unit 9
- Observational study
- A study that records what happens without telling people which treatment to receive.Unit 9
- Open circle
- An unfilled circle on a number line showing that the endpoint is not included.Unit 4
- Opposite numbers
- Numbers the same distance from zero but on different sides of zero.Units 4, 5
- Optimization
- Finding the greatest, smallest, or otherwise best result that follows all the constraints.Unit 10
- Order of operations
- The agreed order for completing calculations in an expression so everyone gets the same value.Units 0, 5
- Ordered pair
- Two numbers or values written in a particular order. On a coordinate plane, (x, y) gives a point’s horizontal and vertical location.Units 0, 4
- Organized list
- A list that checks possibilities in a clear order so none are skipped or repeated.Unit 1
- Origin
- The point (0, 0) where the x-axis and y-axis meet.Units 4, 6
- Original amount
- The starting amount before a percent increase or decrease.Unit 7
- Outlier
- A data value unusually far from most of the other values.Unit 9
P
- Parallelogram
- A quadrilateral with both pairs of opposite sides parallel.Unit 8
- Part-to-part ratio
- A ratio comparing one group with another group.Unit 6
- Part-to-whole ratio
- A ratio comparing one group with the total.Unit 6
- Partial dividend
- The place-value amount currently being divided during long division.Units 0, 2
- Partial product
- One smaller product found before all the products are added to get the final answer.Units 0, 2
- Peak
- A value or region of a data display with especially high frequency.Unit 9
- Percent
- A ratio that compares a quantity with 100.Unit 7
- Percent change
- The amount of change divided by the original amount, written as a percent.Unit 7
- Percent decrease
- How much an amount shrank compared with its original amount, written as a percent.Unit 7
- Percent increase
- How much an amount grew compared with its original amount, written as a percent.Unit 7
- Percent rate
- The percent in a percent problem, usually rewritten as a decimal or fraction before calculating.Unit 7
- Perimeter
- The total distance around the outside of a flat figure.Unit 8
- Perpendicular height
- The shortest distance from a base to the opposite side, vertex, or base, measured at a right angle.Unit 8
- Place value
- The value a digit has because of its position in a number.Units 0, 2
- Polygon
- A closed, flat figure made only from straight line segments.Unit 8
- Polyhedron
- A solid figure whose faces are flat polygons.Unit 8
- Population
- The entire group that a statistical study wants to understand.Unit 9
- Positive number
- A number greater than zero, located to the right of zero on a number line.Unit 4
- Power
- The complete expression made from a base and an exponent.Unit 5
- Power of ten
- A number such as 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 made by repeatedly multiplying by 10.Units 0, 2
- Prime factorization
- A way to write a composite number as a product containing only prime numbers.Unit 3
- Prime number
- A whole number greater than 1 with exactly two positive factors: 1 and itself.Unit 3
- Prism
- A solid with two matching parallel bases joined by side faces.Units 0, 8
- Product
- The answer to a multiplication problem.Units 0, 2, 3, 5
- Proportion
- An equation stating that two ratios are equal.Unit 6
- Proportional relationship
- A relationship in which two quantities always have the same multiplying rate.Unit 6
- Pyramid
- A solid with one polygon base and triangular faces that meet at one vertex.Unit 8
Q
- Quadrant
- One of the four regions made by the axes in a coordinate plane.Unit 4
- Quadrilateral
- A polygon with four sides.Unit 8
- Quartile
- A dividing point that separates ordered data into four equal-position groups.Unit 9
- Quotient
- The answer to a division problem.Units 0, 2
R
- Random sample
- A sample chosen so members of the population have a fair chance of being selected.Unit 9
- Range
- The difference between the largest and smallest values in a data set.Unit 9
- Rate
- A ratio comparing quantities measured in different units, such as miles and hours.Units 2, 6
- Ratio
- An ordered comparison of quantities using division.Unit 6
- Ratio part
- One equal-size share represented by one unit in a ratio.Unit 6
- Ratio table
- A table that organizes pairs of equivalent ratios.Unit 6
- Rational number
- A number that can be written as a fraction of two integers with a denominator that is not zero.Unit 4
- Ray
- A part of a line that starts at an endpoint and continues forever in one direction.Unit 4
- Reciprocal
- The reciprocal of a nonzero fraction is found by switching its numerator and denominator. A nonzero whole number n has reciprocal 1/n.Units 0, 3, 6
- Reciprocal rate
- A rate made by switching the compared quantities, such as miles per hour and hours per mile.Unit 6
- Rectangular prism
- A box-shaped solid with six rectangular faces.Units 0, 8
- Reflection
- A transformation that flips a point or shape across a line while keeping the same distance from that line.Unit 4
- Relative frequency
- A category’s frequency divided by the total number of observations.Unit 10
- Remainder
- The amount left after making as many equal groups as possible.Units 0, 1, 2
- Remaining percent
- The percent left after another percent is removed.Unit 7
- Repeating decimal
- A decimal that continues forever with the same digit or group of digits repeating.Unit 2
- Representative sample
- A sample that resembles the population in the important ways being studied.Unit 9
- Rounding
- Replacing a number with a nearby number that is easier to use while keeping about the same value.Units 0, 2
S
- Sales tax
- A percent of a purchase price added to the bill.Unit 7
- Sample
- The smaller group actually observed in a statistical study.Unit 9
- Sampling variability
- The natural differences that occur because different random samples contain different people or items.Unit 9
- Scale drawing
- A drawing that uses one scale factor to represent a larger or smaller object.Unit 6
- Scale factor
- The number every matching length or quantity is multiplied by to make a scaled copy.Units 6, 8, 10
- Scaled model
- A smaller or larger copy whose matching lengths all use the same scale factor.Unit 10
- Scaling
- Changing a quantity or figure by multiplying or dividing every matching amount by the same factor.Units 2, 6, 8
- Similar figures
- Figures with the same shape, matching angles, and proportional matching side lengths.Unit 6
- Simplest form
- A fraction form in which the numerator and denominator have no common factor greater than 1.Units 0, 3
- Skewed left
- A distribution whose longer, thinner tail points toward smaller values.Unit 9
- Skewed right
- A distribution whose longer, thinner tail points toward larger values.Unit 9
- Slant height
- The distance measured along a sloping face of a pyramid or cone, not straight up through the solid.Unit 8
- Solid figure
- A three-dimensional figure with length, width, and height that takes up space.Units 0, 8
- Solution of an equation
- A value that makes an equation true when it replaces the variable.Unit 5
- Solution set
- All values that make an equation or inequality true.Units 4, 5
- Spread
- How far apart the values in a data set are.Unit 9
- Square unit
- A square with side length 1 used to measure area.Units 0, 8
- Standard algorithm
- An agreed-upon step-by-step method for completing a calculation.Units 0, 2
- Standard form
- Writing a number in the usual way with digits instead of words or expanded addition.Unit 0
- Statistic
- A number calculated from data to summarize or describe the data set.Units 9, 10
- Statistical question
- A question that expects different data values instead of one fixed answer.Unit 9
- Substitute
- To replace a variable with the number it represents.Units 0, 5
- Successive percent changes
- Two or more percent changes applied one after another, with each change using the newest amount.Unit 7
- Surface area
- The total area of all exposed outer faces of a solid.Unit 8
T
- Tail
- The thinner end of a distribution where a few values stretch away from the center.Unit 9
- Tally mark
- A short mark used to count. Every fifth tally crosses the previous four to make groups of five.Unit 9
- Tape diagram
- A model that uses labeled bars to show how amounts are joined, compared, or split.Units 1, 6
- Term
- One number, variable, or product separated from other parts of an expression by addition or subtraction.Unit 5
- Terminating decimal
- A decimal that ends because the division eventually has a remainder of zero.Unit 2
- Tip
- Extra money, often found as a percent of a bill, given for service.Unit 7
- Trapezoid
- A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides.Unit 8
- Treatment
- A condition or action assigned to a group in an experiment.Unit 9
- Trial quotient digit
- A possible quotient digit tested to see whether its product fits in the current partial dividend.Unit 2
U
- Unit cube
- A cube whose length, width, and height are each 1 unit.Units 0, 8
- Unit fraction
- A positive fraction with a numerator of 1.Units 0, 3
- Unit rate
- A rate that tells the amount for exactly 1 unit of the other quantity.Units 2, 6
- Unlike denominators
- Denominators that are different.Units 0, 3
- Upper quartile (Q3)
- The middle value of the upper half of an ordered data set.Unit 9
V
- Variability
- The amount of difference among the values in a data set.Unit 9
- Variable (algebra)
- A letter or symbol that stands for a number that may change or is not yet known.Units 0, 5
- Variable (statistics)
- The characteristic recorded for each person, object, or trial in a study.Unit 9
- Vertex
- A corner point where edges or sides meet. Vertices is the plural of vertex.Unit 8
- Volume
- The amount of three-dimensional space inside a solid, measured in cubic units.Units 0, 8
- Volume scale factor
- The multiplier that compares volumes of similar solids. It is the cube of the linear scale factor.Units 6, 8
W
- Weighted mean
- A mean in which some values count more times or have more importance than others.Unit 9
- Whisker
- A line on a box plot stretching from the box to an end value.Unit 9
- Whole number
- A number in the set 0, 1, 2, 3, ... . Whole numbers include zero and the counting numbers.Units 0, 3, 4
- Work rate
- The part of a job completed in one unit of time.Unit 6
- Working backward
- A strategy that starts with a known final result and undoes the changes in reverse order.Unit 1
X
- x-axis
- The horizontal number line in a coordinate plane.Units 4, 6
- x-coordinate
- The first number in an ordered pair. It tells the horizontal position.Unit 4
Y
- y-axis
- The vertical number line in a coordinate plane.Units 4, 6
- y-coordinate
- The second number in an ordered pair. It tells the vertical position.Unit 4