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A
Compensating A mental strategy where you
round a number and then add or subtract a
smaller amount
Complementary Having a sum of 90°
Composite number A whole number with
more than two factors
Concurrent Passing through the same point
Cone A solid with a circular base and a slanting
curved surface that tapers to a point called the
apex
Constant term The part of an expression
without any pronumerals
Continuous numerical Data that can take
any number value
Coordinates Numbers or letters used to give a
location or position, often an ordered pair written
in the form (x, y)
Corresponding angles Pairs of angles in
the same position, formed by two lines cut by a
transversal
Cube A solid (3D shape) with six square faces
that are congruent (the same size and shape)
Cylinder A solid with two circular faces joined
by a curved surface
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Acute triangle A triangle in which all the
angles are acute (less than 90°)
Adjacent Next to each other
Alternate angles Two angles that lie between
two lines on either side of a transversal
Angle sum The total measure of the interior
angles in a 2D shape
Approximation A value that is close to the real
value
Arc Part of the circumference of a circle between
two points
Area The amount of surface a shape covers
Ascending Going up, from smallest to largest
Associative law The result of adding or
multiplying three or more numbers does not
depend on how they are grouped
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B
Backtracking A method of solving equations
systematically by applying opposite operations
Base (Measurement) One side of a shape,
at right angles to the height
Base (Number) The number that is being
raised to a power or index
C
Capacity How much liquid or gas a container
can hold
Categorical data Data that can be placed into
categories or types of objects
Celsius Scale used for measuring temperature,
where water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°
Census Collection of data from the whole
population
Chance The likelihood of an event happening
Chord A line interval joining two points on the
circumference of a circle
Coefficient A numeral placed before a
pronumeral
Cointerior angles A pair of angles lying
between two lines on the same side of a
transversal
Collinear Lying on the same straight line
Column graph A graph where the height of
each column represents a value
Commutative law When adding and
multiplying, the order in which two numbers are
combined does not matter
D
Data Information (often numerical) gathered by
observation, survey or measurement
Datum One score or piece of data
Decimal point Symbol that separates the
whole part of a number from its fractional part
Denominator The bottom part of a fraction
Descending Going down, from largest to
smallest
Diameter A line interval passing through
the centre of a circle with its end points on the
circumference, or the length of that interval
Discrete numerical Data that can only be
collected in whole number values
Distributive law Adding numbers and then
multiplying the total gives the same answer as
multiplying each number first and then adding the
products
Dividend The number being divided
Divisibility test A way to work out whether
a whole number is divisible by another whole
number, without actually doing the division
Divisor The number you are dividing by
Dot plot A graph in which each dot represents
one score
Uncorrected 3rd sample pages • Cambridge University Press © Greenwood et al, 2017 • ISBN 978-1-316-64866-7 • Ph 03 8671 1400
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Equation A mathematical statement that two
expressions have the same value
Equilateral triangle A triangle with three
equal sides and three equal (60°) angles
Equivalent Equal in value
Equivalent expressions Expressions that are
always equal in value
Equivalent fractions Fractions that represent
the same amount
Estimate An informed guess
Evaluate To find the numerical value of an
expression
Experiment A series of repeated probability
trials that lead to outcomes
Expression A group of mathematical terms
that does not contain an equals sign
Exterior angle The angle formed between the
extended side of a shape and the adjacent side
Isosceles triangle A triangle with at least two
equal sides and two equal angles
F
Factor A whole number that will divide into
another number exactly
Factor tree A diagram showing the breakdown
of a number into its prime factors
Formula An equation that shows the
relationship between variables
Fraction Part of a whole
H
HCF Abbreviation of ‘highest common factor’
Highest common factor (HCF) The largest
number that is a factor of all the given numbers
I
Image The result of transforming a figure
Improper fraction A fraction where the
numerator is greater than or equal to the
denominator
Index form A method of writing numbers that
are multiplied by themselves
Input A number that is changed according to
some rule
Integers The set of positive and negative whole
numbers and zero
Interior angle Any angle inside two adjacent
sides of a shape
Kilogram Unit of metric measurement for mass
Kite A quadrilateral with exactly two pairs of
equal adjacent sides
L
LCD Abbreviation of ‘lowest common
denominator’
LCM Abbreviation of ‘lowest common multiple’
Like terms Terms with the same pronumerals
Line A set of points forming a straight path that
extends forever in opposite directions
Line graph A graph that shows the data as
points joined with line segments
Line of symmetry The line (axis) along which
a figure could be folded to produce identical
halves
Lowest common denominator (LCD) The
smallest common multiple of the denominators of
two or more fractions
Lowest common multiple (LCM) The
smallest number that two or more numbers divide
into evenly
M
Mean An average value calculated by dividing
the total of a set of numbers by the number of
values
Median The middle score when all the numbers
in a set are arranged in order
Metre The standard metric unit for length, equal
to 100 centimetres
Metric system A measurement system using
the base-ten number system
Mixed number A number with a whole
number part and a fraction part
Mode The score that appears most often in a set
of numbers
Multiple A multiple of a number is the product
of that number and any other whole number
N
Negative number A number less than zero
Number line A line on which numbers are
represented by points
Uncorrected 3rd sample pages • Cambridge University Press © Greenwood et al, 2017 • ISBN 978-1-316-64866-7 • Ph 03 8671 1400
Glossary
Probability The likelihood that an event will
occur, measured on a scale between 0 and 1
Product A number that is the result of
multiplication
Pronumeral A letter or symbol used to
represent a number
Proper fraction A fraction where the
numerator is less than the denominator
Proportion One part considered in relation to
the whole
Protractor A semicircular or circular tool for
measuring or drawing angles
Pyramid A solid where the base has straight
sides and the other faces are triangles meeting at
a vertex (the apex)
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Number plane A plane on which every point is
related to a pair of numbers called coordinates
Numerator The top part of a fraction
Numerical data Data that can be counted or
measured
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Observation Survey and observation of data
from those visible to us
Obtuse triangle A triangle with one obtuse
angle (between 90° and 180°)
Order of rotational symmetry The number
of times a figure matches its original position
during rotation of 360°
Origin The point with coordinates (0, 0) on the
number plane
Outcome One of the possible results of a trial
Outlier A value that is much larger or much
smaller than the rest of the data
Output The result from applying a rule to the
input
P
Parallel lines Lines in the same plane that are
a fixed distance apart and never intersect
Parallelogram A quadrilateral with two pairs
of opposite sides parallel
Partitioning A mental strategy where
you break up a number into parts, e.g.
123 = 100 + 20 + 3
Per cent (%) Per hundred, out of a hundred
Perfect square A number with a square root
that is a whole number
Perimeter The total distance (length) around
the outside of a figure
Perpendicular At right angles
Place value The value of a digit in a number,
which is determined by its position
Plane A flat surface that extends endlessly in all
directions
Point A position in space, marked with a dot
and named with a capital letter
Power (index) The number that a base is being
raised to
Primary source Information collected from the
original source by the person needing the data
Prime number A whole number with only two
factors, itself and 1
Prism A solid with two parallel congruent faces,
joined by parallelograms (often rectangles)
Q
Quadrilateral A four-sided plane (2D) shape
with straight sides
Quotient A number that is the result of division
R
Radius A line interval from the centre of a circle
to its circumference (boundary), or the length of
that interval
Range The difference between the highest and
lowest numbers in a set
Ray Part of a straight line, extending forever in
one direction
Reciprocal A fraction in which the numerator
and denominator have changed places
Rectangle A quadrilateral with both pairs of
opposite sides equal and parallel, and with four
right angles
Reflection Flipping a geometrical figure across
a line
Remainder Leftover amount after one number
has been divided by another
Revolution A full turn or circle (360°)
Rhombus A quadrilateral with both pairs of
opposite sides parallel and all sides equal
Right triangle A triangle in which one of the
angles is a right angle (90°)
Rotation A turn around a centre point
Rotational symmetry When a figure rotated
less than 360° matches its original position
Rounding Approximating a number to a
specified number of places
Uncorrected 3rd sample pages • Cambridge University Press © Greenwood et al, 2017 • ISBN 978-1-316-64866-7 • Ph 03 8671 1400
Glossary
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Sample Collection of data from a smaller subset
of the whole population
Sample space The list of all the possible
outcomes of a trial
Scalene triangle A triangle with no equal
sides or angles
Secondary source Information collected,
published and summarised by someone else
before we use it
Segment A section of a straight line (also called
an interval)
Sequence A set of numbers ordered according
to a rule
Simplifying Finding the simplest possible
expression
Solving Finding the value of an unknown
variable
Square A quadrilateral with all sides equal in
length and four right angles
Square number The result of multiplying a
number by itself
Square root (of a given number) The number
that, when multiplied by itself, gives the number
Stem-and-leaf plot A table that lists numbers
in order, grouped in rows
Substitute To replace pronumerals with
numbers
Supplementary Having a sum of 180°
Transformation Changing a figure’s position,
size or shape through a mathematical process
Translation Moving a shape a certain distance
in a given direction
Transversal A line that cuts two or more lines
Trapezium A quadrilateral with exactly one pair
of parallel sides
Travel graph A line graph that describes a
traveller’s position at different times
Trial One run of a chance experiment
Triangle A plane (2D) shape with three straight
sides and three angles
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Table of values Pairs of numbers related by a
rule, often used for plotting points on a number
plane
Term One of the numbers in a sequence
U
Unknown A pronumeral with a value that is yet
to be found to make the equation true
V
Variable Something that is measurable and
observable, which is expected to change over time
or between each observation
Vertex A point where two straight lines meet to
make an angle
Vertically opposite Opposite each other
across a common vertex
Vinculum The separating line in a fraction
Volume The amount of three-dimensional space
in (or occupied by) an object
X
x-axis Horizontal axis of the number plane
Y
y-axis Vertical axis of the number plane
Uncorrected 3rd sample pages • Cambridge University Press © Greenwood et al, 2017 • ISBN 978-1-316-64866-7 • Ph 03 8671 1400