Download Math Vocabulary

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Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 1.1-1.7
variable- letter that is used to represent one or more numbers
variable expression—a grouping of numbers, variables, and operations, but NO equal
sign
evaluate-find the value of; a variable expression, substitute values for the variables
and then simplify the resulting numerical expression
power—a way of writing repeated multiplication
base—The base of a power is the factor, and the exponent of a power is the number of
times the factor is used.

 7
base
3 
exp onent
 777
6. Order of Operations—PEMDAS—“Please excuse my dear Aunt Sally.”
In order, you must work Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, and
Add/Subtract in order of which they come.
7. equation—mathematical sentence formed by setting two expressions equal
8. solution- a number that you can substitute for the variable to make the equation true.
9. solving the equation—finding all solutions of an equation
10. The Distance Formula— Words: Distance traveled is equal to the speed (rate of
travel) times the travel time
d = rt
11. perimeter— is the sum of the lengths of the sides
12. area— number of square units needed to cover the surface of a figure
Rectangle: A= l x w
Triangle: b x h
2
Circle:
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4.
r r 
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 2.1-2.7
decimal- number that is written using the base-ten place value system where a decimal
point separates the ones’ and tenths’ digits.
round—a decimal to a given place value. Look at the digit in the place to the right of
that place value. If the digit is less than 5, round down. If the digit is 5 or more,
round up.
front-end estimation-add the front-end digits, estimate the sum of the remaining
digits, and then add the results.
leading digit—the first nonzero digit
**When multiplying decimals, you multiply like regular whole numbers first, then
place the decimal point in the product. Count the number of decimal places in the
problem. That will be the number of decimal places in your answer.
5. compatible numbers—numbers that make calculation easier
**When dividing decimals, multiply both the divisor and the dividend by a power of
ten that will make the divisor a whole number. (Round to the nearest 10 to get a
starting place for your scratch work.)
6. scientific notation—A number is written in scientific notation if it has the form c x
10n where c is greater than or equal to 1 and less than 10 and n is a whole number.
7. metric system- a decimal system of measurement
8. meter (m)—basic unit of length in the metric system. Three other metric units of
length are the millimeter (mm), centimeter (cm), and the kilometer (km).
9. gram (g)— basic unit of mass in the metric system. Two other metric units of mass are
the milligram (mg) and the kilogram (kg).
10. liter (L)— basic unit of capacity in the metric system. Two other metric units of
capacity are the milliliter (mL) and the kiloliter (kL).
To create a unit multiplier or a “conversion”:
Put what is given x
What you are converting to = Answer
1
What equals the unit above
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 3.1-3.7
1. mean-(average) sum of the values divided by the number of the values
2. median—middle value of a set of numbers when they are written in an ordered list. If
the list has an even number of values, the median is the mean of the two middle values
3. mode-value that occurs the most often in a set of numbers. A set can have one mode,
more than one mode, or no mode.
4. range—difference between the greatest value and the least value
5. bar graph—lengths of bars are used to represent and compare data; shows data in
distinct categories
6. line graph—points that represent data values are connected using line segments; shows
how data changes over time
7. stem-and-leaf plot—display that helps you to see the way data are distributed and
groups data into ordered lists
8. box-and-whisker plot- data display that divides data values into four parts
9. lower quartile—median of the lower half of a box-and-whisker plot
10. upper quartile— median of the upper half of a box-and-whisker plot
11. lower extreme— least data half of a box-and-whisker plot
12. upper extreme— greatest data half of a box-and-whisker plot
13. frequency table—groups data values into intervals
14. frequency—number of values that lie in the interval
15. histogram—graph that displays data from a frequency table. We use histograms to
compare the frequencies of data that fall in equal intervals. A histogram has one bar
for each interval that contains data values. The height of the bar indicates frequency
for the interval.
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 4.1-4.7
1. prime number- a whole number greater than 1 whose only whole number factors are 1
and itself
2. composite number—whole number greater than 1 that is not prime
3. prime factorization-expressing a whole number as a product of prime numbers
4. factor tree—diagram used to write the prime factorization of a number
5. common factor—whole number that is a factor of two or more nonzero whole numbers
6. greatest common factor (GCF)—greatest of the factors that two or more numbers
have in common
7. relatively prime—Two or more numbers are called this when their greatest common
factor (GCF) is 1.
a
8. fraction- a number in the form
b  0 where a is called the numerator and b is
b
called the denominator.
9. equivalent fractions—fractions that represent the same part-to-whole relationship
10. simplest form— A fraction is in simplest form when the numerator and denominator
have 1 as their greatest common factor.
11. multiple— a number is the product of the number and any nonzero whole number
12. common multiple— a multiple that is shared by two or more numbers
13. least common multiple (LCM)—the least of the common multiples among two or more
numbers
14. least common denominator (LCD)—This is when you find the common denominator
between two fractions before adding or subtracting. You want to find the least
common multiple of the two denominators, then use the LCD to write equivalent
fractions.
15. mixed number—has a whole number part and a fraction part
16. proper fraction- a fraction whose numerator is less than its denominator
17. improper fraction- a fraction whose numerator is greater than or equal to its
denominator
**To write mixed numbers as improper fractions: multiply the whole number part and
the denominator, add the numerator, and write the sum over the denominator.
3 23

4
4
**To write improper fractions as mixed numbers: divide the numerator by the
denominator and write any remainder as a fraction.
5
5
3 23
4 23 = 5 
4
4
 20
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terminating decimal- when a long division problem results in a remainder of 0
repeating decimal- where one or more digits repeat without end
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 5.1-5.6
** To add or subtract fractions with different denominators:
Rewrite the fractions using the LCD.
Add or subtract the numerators.
Write the result over the LCD and simplify if possible.
** To add or subtract mixed numbers:
Find the LCD of the fractions, if necessary.
Rename the fractions if needed, then add or subtract the fractions.
Add or subtract the whole numbers.
Simplify if possible.
**To multiply fractions: Multiply the numerators, then multiply the
denominators…straight across.
1 5
5
a c ac
 
 
b, d  0
4 6 24
b d bd
1. reciprocals- Two numbers are reciprocals if their product is 1.
5 6 30
 
1
They are reciprocals.
6 5 30
2. U.S. customary system—The units of measurement for length, weight, and capacity
commonly used in the United States
3. inch (in.)-is a unit of length in the customary system. Three other customary units of
length are the foot (ft), yard (yd), and mile (mi).
4. weight- tells you how heavy the object is. Three other customary units of weight are
the ounce (oz), pound (lb), and ton (T).
5. capacity-is a measure of the amount that a container holds. Five other customary
units of capacity are the fluid ounce (fl oz), cup (c), pint (pt), quart (qt), and gallon
(gal).
Customary Units of Measure
Length
Weight
1 ft = 12 in.
1 lb = 16 oz
1 yd = 3 ft = 36 in.
1 T = 2000 lb
1 mi= 1760 yd = 5280 ft
Capacity
1 c = 8 fl oz
1 pt = 2 c
1 qt = 2 pt
1 gal = 4 qt
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 6.1-6.8
1. integers- set of counting numbers, their opposites, and zero
2. positive integers- numbers greater than zero on the number line
3. negative integers- numbers less than zero on the number line
4. absolute value- the distance between the number and 0 on a number line. The
absolute value of a number a is written a .
Rules:
When adding integers with opposite signs, use absolute value. Basically, subtract the
smaller from the larger and take the sign of the larger.
When subtracting integers with opposite signs, add its opposite.
When multiplying integers: a positive x a positive = a positive
a negative x a negative = a positive
a negative x a positive = a negative
When dividing integers: a positive ÷ a positive = a positive
a negative ÷ a negative = a positive
a negative ÷ a positive = a negative
a
5. rational number- a number that can be written as
where a and b are integers and b
b
≠ 0.
6. Inverse Property of Addition- The sum of a number and its additive inverse, or
opposite is 0.
7. Inverse Property of Multiplication –The product of a nonzero number and its
multiplicative inverse, or reciprocal, is 1.
8. Identity Property of Addition: The sum of a number and the additive identity, 0 is
the number.
9. Identity Property of Multiplication: The product of a number and the multiplicative
identity, 1, is the number.
10. scatter plots-a way to represent paired data visually. Each point on a scatter plot
represents one data pair.
**Temperature Conversions:
9
To convert Celsius to Fahrenheit, use the formula F  C  32.
5
5
To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, use the formula C  F  32 .
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11. equivalent expressions-two expressions that are equal in value
12. Distributive Property-For all numbers a, b, and c,
a(b + c) = ab + ac and a(b – c) = ab – ac.
13. coordinate plane-This is formed by the intersection of a horizontal number line,
called the x-axis, and a vertical number line, called the y-axis. The x-axis and y-axis
meet at a point called the origin and divide the coordinate plane into four quadrants.
14. ordered pairs- a pair of numbers made up of the x-coordinate (the first number in
the pair) and the y-coordinate (the second number in the pair) that represent points in a
coordinate plane
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 7.1-7.8
1. terms- parts of an expression that are being added together
2. like terms- terms that have identical variable parts
3. coefficient- the number part of the term that has a variable
4. constant term- a term that has a number, but no variable
5. equivalent variable expressions- expressions equal for every value of each variable
they contain
6. inverse operation- an operation that “undoes” another operation
7. equivalent equations- two equations that have the same solution
8. Division Property of Equality- Dividing each side of an equation by the same nonzero
number produces an equivalent equation.
ax b

ax  b a  0
a
a
9. Multiplication Property of Equality- Multiplying each side of an equation by the same
nonzero number produces an equivalent equation.
x
x
b
a  ab
a  0
a
a
10. inequality- mathematical sentence formed by placing an inequality symbol between
two expressions
11. graph of an inequality- in one variable is the set of points on a number line that
represents the solutions of the inequality
12. equivalent inequalities- inequalities that have the same solution
13. function- a pairing of each number in a given set with exactly one number in another
set. Starting with a number called an input, the function associates that number with
exactly one number called an output.
14. domain- the set of all input values of a function
15. range- the set of all output values of a function
16. linear function- a function whose graph is a line or part of a line
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2.
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4.
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 8.1-8.6
ratio- a comparison between two numbers
**A ratio may be written 3 ways: 7 to 6
7
6
7:6
equivalent ratios—two ratios that have the same
rate-ratio of two quantities measured in different
unit rate—a rate that has a denominator of 1 unit.
**The average rate, or average speed, of a moving object can be found by dividing
the distance traveled by the travel time.
dis tan ce
rate 
time
5. slope—A ratio of the rise to the run between any two points on a line.
rise y

=
run x
”a change in” y
”a change in” x
6. rise- a vertical change
7. run—horizontal change
8. positive slope— a line that rises from left to right
9. negative slope— a line that falls from left to right
10. slope of zero-A horizontal line has a slope of 0.
11. proportion- an equation that states that two ratios are equivalent
12. scale drawing- a diagram of an object in which the dimensions are in proportion to
the actual dimensions of the object.
13. scale- a key on a drawing that tells how the drawing’s dimensions and the actual
dimensions are related
14. scale model- a model of an object in which the dimensions are in proportion to the
actual dimensions of the object
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 9.1-9.8
1. percent- a ratio whose denominator is 100
**To write percents as fractions: Move the percent sign 2 times to the right
(multiplying by 100) then write the new number (without the %) on top of 100. Reduce to
simplest terms.
** To write fractions as percents: Rewrite the fraction with a denominator of 100
(making an equivalent fraction). Rewrite the new number that is on top of 100 as a %
without the denominator. You may also divide the bottom into the top (denominator into
the numerator) creating a decimal. Then move the decimal two places to the right to
create a %.
2. Percent equation—a = p%(b) You can represent “a is p percent of b” with this
equation where a is part of the base b and p is the percent.
3. circle graph-displays data as sections of a circle.
4. ray—part of a line. It begins at a point and extends in one direction without end.
5. angle—consists of two rays that begin at a common point, called the vertex.
6. unit—when measuring angles, the unit of measure is degrees
7. percent of change—how much a quantity has increased or decreased in comparison with
the original amount.
8. percent of increase- percent of change when the new amount is greater than the
original amount.
9. percent of decrease- the percent of change when the amount is less than the original
amount.
10. Interest- the amount earned or paid on the use of your money
11. Principal- the amount of money that you borrow or deposit
12. Annual Interest Rate- the percent of money the principal earned in one year
13. Simple Interest- When interest is paid only on the principal
14. Balance- Interest and Principal added together
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5.
6.
7.
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 10.1-10.8
right angle- an angle whose measure is exactly 90 degrees
acute angle—an angle whose measure is less than 90 degrees
obtuse angle- an angle whose measure is greater than 90 degrees
straight angle—an angle whose measure is exactly 180 degrees
complementary—Two angles are complementary when the sum of their
measures is
90 degrees.
supplementary—Two angles are supplementary when the sum of their measures is 180
degrees.
adjacent angles—Two angles that share a common side and a vertex and do not overlap
are called adjacent angles.
8. Vertical angles- When two lines meet at a point, the angles that are opposite each
other are called vertical angles. Vertical angles are congruent angles, because they
have the same measure.
9. plane- flat surface that extends without end
10. intersecting lines- meet at a point
11. parallel lines- two lines in the same plane that do not intersect
12. perpendicular lines- intersecting lines that form four right angles
13. corresponding angles- angles that occupy corresponding (matching) positions when a
line intersects two other lines are called corresponding angles. When a line intersects
two parallel lines, corresponding angles are congruent.
14. Sum of angle measures of a triangle- The sum of the measures of the angles in
any triangle is 180 degrees
15. interior angles- The three angles of any triangle are called interior angles.
16. exterior angles- The sides of a triangle can be extended to form angles outside of
the triangle that are adjacent to the interior angles. These angles are called exterior
angles.
17. congruent sides- These sides on a triangle have the same length.
*Triangles can be classified by Angle Measure
18. acute triangle-triangle with three acute angles
19. right triangle-triangle with a right angle
20. obtuse triangle-triangle with one obtuse angle
*Triangles can by classified by Side Lengths
21. equilateral triangle-triangle with 3 congruent sides
22. isosceles triangle-triangle with at least 2 congruent sides
23. scalene triangle-triangle with no congruent sides
24. quadrilateral- a four- sided polygon
25. polygon- a closed-in geometric figure made up of three or more line segments that
intersect only at their endpoints
26. regular polygon- a polygon with all sides equal in length and all angles equal in
measure
*Special Quadrilaterals
27. trapezoid- quadrilateral with exactly 1 pair of parallel sides
28. parallelogram- quadrilateral with 2 pairs of parallel sides
29. rectangle- parallelogram with 4 right angles
30. rhombus- parallelogram with 4 congruent sides
31. square- parallelogram with 4 right angles and 4 congruent sides
*Polygons
32. triangle- 3 sides
33. quadrilateral- 4 sides
34. pentagon- 5 sides
35. hexagon- 6 sides
36. heptagon- 7 sides
37. octagon- 8 sides
38. similar- Two polygons are similar if they have the same shape but not necessarily the
same size.
39. congruent polygons- similar polygons that have the same shape and the same size
40. transformation-a movement of a figure in a plane. An image is the new figure formed
by the transformation.
41. translation- a slide—Each point of the figure is moved the same distance in the same
direction.
42. reflection-a flip—A figure is reflected in a line called the line of reflection, creating
a mirror image of the figure.
43. rotation-a turn—A figure is rotated through a give angle and in a given direction
about a fixed point called the center of rotation.
44. line symmetry- A figure has sine symmetry if it can be divided by a line (line of
symmetry) into two parts that are mirror images of each other.
45. rotational symmetry-A figure has rotational symmetry if a turn of 180 degrees or
less produces an image that fits exactly on the original figure.
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 11.1-11.7
1. square root- of a number n is a number m which, when multiplied by itself, equals n. (m
x m = n) m = n
2. perfect squares—numbers that are squares of integers, such as 1=1 2 and 4 = 2 2 , are
called perfect squares
3. radical expression-an expression involving a radical sign
4. irrational number—cannot be written as a quotient of two integers, and the decimal
form of an irrational number neither terminates nor repeats
5. real numbers—set of numbers that consists of all rational and irrational numbers
6. hypotenuse—In a right triangle, the side opposite the right angle is the hypotenuse.
7. legs—the two sides that form a right angle in a right triangle.
8. Pythagorean Theorem- For any right triangle, the sum of the square of the lengths of
the legs equals the square of the length of the hypotenuse.
a2 + b2 = c2
9. Area of parallelogram- A= bh
10. Area of triangleA= b(h)
2
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
Area of trapezoid-
A= (b 1 + b 2 )h
2
circle- set of all points in a plane that are the same distance from a fixed
point called the center
radius- the distance from the center to any point on a circle is the radius
diameter- distance across a circle through the center
circumference- the distance around the circle C  d
Area of Circle- A = r 2
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 12.1-12.6
1. solid-a three-dimensional figure that encloses a part of a space
2. prism—solid formed by polygons. Prisms have two congruent bases that lie in parallel
planes.
3. pyramid-solid formed by polygons. The base can be any polygon, and the other
polygons are triangles
4. cylinder—a solid with two congruent circular bases that lie in parallel planes
5. cone—a solid with one circular base
6. sphere—a solid formed by all points in space that are the same distance from a fixed
point called the center
7. faces—when polygons form the sides of a solid, they are called faces.
8. edges- line segments where the faces meet
9. vertex- point where the edges meet
10. surface area- the sum of the areas of its outside surfaces, or faces. The surface
are is equal to the area of its net.
*Surface area of a rectangular prism can also be found using the formula:
S = 2lw + 2lh + 2wh
11. net- the two-dimensional representation of a solid
*Surface are of a cylinder is the sum of the area of the curved surface and the
areas of the circular bases. The formula is:
S = 2 rh + 2 r 2
12. volume- the amount of space a solid contains. It is measured in cubic units, such as
cubic feet ft 3
* The volume formula for a rectangular prism is V = lwh
* The volume formula for a cylinder is V =  r 2 h
Math Vocabulary
Mc-L Lessons 13.1-13.6
1. outcomes- possible results of an experiment
2. event- collection of outcomes
3. favorable outcomes- the outcomes for that event once you specify an event
4. probability- a measure of the likelihood that the even will occur
Number of favorable outcomes
* P (event) =
Total number of outcomes
Probabilities can range from 0 to 1. The closer the probability of an event is to 1, the more
likely the event will occur.
5. tree diagram- can help you find the possible outcomes of an event by using branching
to list choices
6. The Counting Principle- If one event can occur in a number of ways (m), and for each
of these a second event can occur in another number of ways (n). Then, the number of
ways that the two events can occur together is (m)(n).
7. permutation- an arrangement of a group of objects in a particular order. The order
of the objects is important.
8. combination- a grouping of objects in which the order is not important
*When relating permutations and combinations: Another way to find the number of
combinations is to divide the number of permutations when choosing x objects from y by
the number of permutations when arranging x objects, as shown below.
Permutations when choo sin g x objects from y objects
 Number of combinations
Permutations when arranging x objects
9. disjoint events- events that have no outcomes in common
10. overlapping events- events that have one or more outcomes in common
11. Probability of Disjoint Events: the probability that either of the events occurs is
the sum of the probabilities of the events.
* P(A or B) = P(A) + P(B)
12. Complementary Events- Two disjoint events in which one or the other must occur.
If A and event B are complementary events and you know the probability of one event, you
can use the following rule to find the probability of the other event.
* P(B) = 1 – P(A)
13. independent events- If the occurrence of one event does not affect the likelihood
that the other event will occur, then the two events are independent of one another.
14. dependent events- If the occurrence of one event does affect the likelihood that
the other event will occur, then the two events are dependent on one another.
15. Probability of Independent Events- For two independent events, the probability
that both events occur is the product of the probabilities of the events.
* P(A and B) = P(A)  P(B)
16. Probability of Dependent Events- For two dependent events, the probability that
both events occur is the product of the probabilities of the events.
* P(A and B) = P(A)  P(B given A)