Internet Academy

Math

	Federal Way Public Schools

Vocabulary

Some definitions are from Harcourt School Publishers. To find more definitions of mathematical terms, click on either of the two interactive sites below. There are examples to go with each term as well.

Harcourt School Publishers Math Glossary

Interactive Mathematics Dictionary

Analyze	To examine methodically by separating into parts and studying their interrelations.
Area	The number of square units needed to cover a surface.
Approximate	To obtain a number close to an exact amount.
Average	The number obtained by dividing the sum of a set of numbers by the number of addends; see also mean.
Axis/Axes	The horizontal number line (x-axis) and the vertical number line (y-axis) on the coordinate plane; the lines at the side and bottom of a graph.
Bar Graph	A graph that uses the length of solid bars to represent numbers and compare data.
Circle Graph	A graph that shows how parts of the data are related to the whole and to each other.
Circumference	The boundary line, or perimeter, of a circle.
Compare	To look for similarities and/or differences.
Composite Number	A whole number that has more than two factors.
Conclusion	A judgment or decision after investigating or reasoning.
Cone	A solid figure that has a circular base and one vertex.
Congruent	Having the same size and shape.
Contrast	To emphasize differences.
Coordinates	Each point graphed can be represented by a unique pair of numbers called an ordered pair. The numbers in the ordered pair are called the coordinates
Cube	A solid figure with six congruent square faces.
Cylinder	A solid figure with two parallel bases that are congruent circles.
Convert	To change from one form or function to another.
Denominator	The number below the bar in a fraction that tells how many equal parts are in the whole.
Diameter	The distance across a circle through its center. The line segment that includes the center and whose endpoints lie on the circumference of the circle.
Difference	The answer in a subtraction problem.
Divisible	A whole number is divisible by another whole number if the remainder equals zero when you divide.
Equality	A statement, usually an equation, that one thing equals another.
Equation	An algebraic or numerical sentence that shows that two quantities are equal.
Equilateral Triangle	A triangle with three congruent sides.
Equivalent Fraction	Fractions that name the same number.
Estimate	To find a number that is close to an exact amount.
Evaluate	To examine and judge carefully.
Expanded Form	A number written in component parts showing the cumulative place values of each digit in the number. Example: 347 = 300 + 40 + 7
Extraneous	Inessential or unrelated to the topic or matter at hand; irrelevant.
Faces	A polygon that is a flat surface of a solid figure.
Factor	A number that is multiplied by another number to find a product.
Fraction	A number that names a part of a whole or a part of a group.
Function	A function rule to a set of numbers which determines a machine corresponding set of numbers.
Grid	A pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines forming squares on a map, a chart, an aerial photograph, or an optical device, used as a reference for locating points.
Hexagon	A six-sided polygon.
Improper Fraction	A fraction in which the numerator is equal to or greater than the denominator.
Inequality	An algebraic or numerical sentence that shows that two amounts are not equal.
Integer	The set of whole numbers and their opposites. Zero is not an integer.
Intersecting	Lines that cross at exactly one point.
Interval	The set of points between two numbers.
Isosceles Triangle	A triangle with two congruent sides.
Line of Symmetry	A line that divides a figure into two congruent parts.
Justify	To prove or show to be true or valid using logic and/or evidence.
Mean	The number found by dividing the sum of a set of numbers by the number of addends; see also average.
Median	The middle number or the average of the two middle numbers in an ordered set of data.
Mixed Number	A number represented by a whole number and a fraction.
Mode	The numbers or items that occur most often in a set of data.
Multiple	The product of a given whole number and another whole number.
Numerator	The number above the bar in a fraction that tells how many equal parts of the whole are being considered.
Octogon	A polygon with eight sides.
Ordered Pair	A pair of numbers used to locate a point on a coordinate plane; the first number tells how far to move horizontally and the second number tells how far to move vertically.
Order of Operations	Rules describing the order to use in evaluating numerical expressions: the order is parentheses, exponents, multiply, divide, addition, and subtraction.
Origin	The point of intersection of the vertical and horizontal axes of a Cartesian plane. The coordinates of the origin are (0, 0).
Parallel	Lines in a plane that never intersect.
Parallelogram	A quadrilateral whose opposite sides are parallel and congruent.
Pentagon	A polygon with five sides.
Percent	The ratio of a number to 100; percent means "per hundred."
Perimeter	The distance around a figure.
Perpendicular	Two lines that intersect to form four right angles.
Place Value	The value of a digit as determined by its place in a number.
Plane Figure	A figure which lies in a plane.
Prediction	A reasonable guess as to what will happen.
Prime Number	A whole number greater than 1 whose only factors are 1 and itself.
Prism	A 3-dimensional figure that has 2 congruent and parallel faces that are polygons and the remaining faces are parallelograms.
Probability	The chance that an event will occur expressed as the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes.
Product	The answer to a multiplication problem.
Proportion	An equation that shows that two ratios are equal.
Pyramid	A solid figure with a polygon base and all other faces triangles that meet at a common vertex.
Quadrants	The four regions of the coordinate plane.
Quadrilateral	A polygon with four sides.
Quotient	The number, not including the remainder, that results from dividing.
Radius	The distance from the center of a circle to any point on the circumference. Also, the line segment that has the center of the circle as one endpoint and a point on the circle as the other endpoint.
Random	A sample in which every person, object, or event in the population has the same chance of being selected for the sample.
Range	The difference between the largest and smallest values in a numerical data set.
Rate	A ratio that compares two quantities having different units of measure.
Ratio	The comparison of two numbers by division.
Rational Number	Any number that can be written as a ratio a/b where a and b are integers and b does not equal 0.
Rectangle	A parallelogram with four right angles.
Reflections (flips)	A transformation of a figure by reflecting it over a line, creating a mirror image of the figure; the effect of a flip is a reflection.
Remainder	The number left over when one integer is divided by another: The remainder plus the product of the quotient times the divisor equals the dividend.
Rhombus	A parallelogram with four congruent sides.
Right Angle	An angle formed by perpendicular lines, line segments, or rays and with a measure of 90°.
Rotations (turns)	Turning a figure around a given point.
Rule	A procedure; a prescribed method; a way of describing the relationship between two sets of numbers.
Sequence	A set of numbers arranged in a special order or pattern.
Similar	Figures with the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
Sphere	A solid figure that has the shape of a round ball; all points are the same distance from the center.
Standard Form	A way to write numbers using the digits 0-9.
Standard Unit of Measurement	Units of measure commonly used, generally classified in the U.S. customary system or metric system.
Strategy	A tool used in problem solving, such as looking for a pattern, drawing a diagram, working backward, etc.
Sum	The answer to an addition problem.
Symmetry	Exact correspondence of form and constituent configuration on opposite sides of a dividing line or plane or about a center or an axis.
Transformations	One of three methods for moving a figure without changing its shape or size: translations (slides), reflections (flips), and rotations (turns).
Translations (slides)	A transformation of a figure by moving it without turning or flipping it in any direction.
Triangle	A polygon with three sides.
Variable	A letter or symbol that stands for one or more numbers.
Vertex/Vertices	The point where two or more rays meet; the point of intersection of two sides of a polygon; the point of intersection of three or more edges of a solid figure; the top point of a cone; the plural of vertex is vertices.
Volume	The measure of the amount of space a solid figure occupies.
Whole Number	One of the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . The set of whole numbers goes on without end.