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Harcourt school publishers - Math glossary Category: Mathematics and statistics Date & country: 23/12/2007, UK Words: 270

algebraic operating system (AOS)
The set of procedures some calculators use to follow the order of operations

angle
A figure formed by two rays that have a common endpoint
Example:


algebraic expression
An expression that includes at least one variable
Examples:
x + 5
4n ÷ 6

adjacent angles
Angles that are side by side and have a common vertex and ray
Example:

ABD is adjacent to DBC.

additive inverse
The opposite of a given number
Examples:
1 and ^-1
^-27 and 27


Addition Property of Equality
The property that states that if you add the same number to both sides of an equation, the sides remain equal
Example:
5 = 5
5 + 2 = 5 + 2
7 = 7


acute triangle
A triangle in which all three angles are acute
Examples:


acute angle
An angle that has a measure greater than 0° and less than 90°
Example:


absolute value
The distance of a number from zero on a number line
Example:

^-4 The absolute value of ^-4 is 4.
⁺4 The absolute value of ⁺4 is 4.

y-coordinate
The second number in an ordered pair it tells the distance to move up or down from (0,0)
Example:


y-axis
The vertical number line on a coordinate plane
Example:


x-coordinate
The first number in an ordered pair which tells the distance to move right or left from (0, 0)
Example:


x-axis
The horizontal number line on a coordinate plane
Example:


whole number
One of the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . The set of whole numbers goes on without end.

volume
The measure of the amount of space a solid figure occupies
Example:

The volume of this figure is 24 cubic units

vertical angles
A pair of opposite congruent angles formed where two lines intersect
Example:


vertex
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
Examples:


Venn diagram
A diagram that shows relationships among sets of things
Example:


variable
A letter or symbol that stands for one or more numbers
Example:


upper quartile
The median of the upper half of a set of data
Example:

The upper quartile is 8.

upper extreme
The greatest number in a set of data
Example:
2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 8, 9, 11
The upper extreme is 11.

unlike fractions
Fractions with different denominators
Example:



unit rate
A rate that has 1 unit as its second term
Example:
$1.45 per pound

underestimate
An estimate that is less than the exact answer
Example:


unbiased sample
A sample is unbiased if every individual in the population has an equal chance of being selected

triangular number
A number that can be represented by a triangular array
Examples:


triangle
A polygon with three sides
Examples:


tree diagram
A diagram that shows all possible outcomes for an event
Example:

So, there are 6 possible outcomes.

trapezoid
A quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides
Examples:


translation (slide)
A movement of a figure along a straight line
Example:


transformation
The moving of a figure by a translation, reflection, or rotation
Examples:
translation
rotation
reflection

three-dimensional
Measured in three directions, such as length, width, and height
Example:

height
width
length

theoretical probability
A comparison of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible equally likely outcomes
Example:


tessellation
An arrangement of closed figures that completely covers a surface with no gaps and no overlaps
Example:


terms
The parts of an expression that are separated by an addition or subtraction sign
Example:
3x + 2y + 17
3x, 2y, and 17 are terms in the expression.

terminating decimal
A decimal that ends, having a finite number of digits after the decimal point
Examples:

0.5 and 0.625 are terminating decimals.

term
Each of the numbers in a sequence
Example:
3, 6, 12, 24
6 is a term in the sequence.

term
One of the numbers in a ratio
Example:


tangram
A puzzle consisting of seven polygon-shaped pieces that can be rearranged to make various figures or shapes
Example:


tally table
A table with categories for recording each piece of data with tally marks as it is collected
Example:


systematic sample
A sampling method in which one subject is selected at random and subsequent subjects are selected according to a pattern
Example:


survey
A method of gathering information about a group

surface area
The sum of the areas of all the faces, or surfaces, of a solid figure
Example:

Surface Area = A + B + C + D + E + F
= 8 + 6 + 12 + 6 + 12 + 8 = 52, or 52 units²

supplementary angles
Two angles whose measures have a sum of 180°
Example:


sum
The answer to an addition problem
Example:
12 + 7 = 19
The sum is 19.

Subtraction Property of Equality
The property that states that if you subtract the same number from both sides of an equation, the sides remain equal
Example:
5 = 5
5 â€` 2 = 5 â€` 2
3 = 3


straight angle
An angle whose measure is 180°
Example:

XYZ is a straight angle.

stem-and-leaf plot
A data display that shows groups of data arranged by place value
Example:

This plot shows the number of sit-ups a group of students did in one minute.

standard form
A way to write numbers using the digits 0-9
Example:
3,027

square root
One of two equal factors of a number
Example:
because 5² = 5 x 5 = 25.
Read: The square root of twenty-five equals five.

square number
The product of a number and itself; a number with the exponent 2
Example:
Read 3² as '3 squared.'
3² = 3 x 3 = 9 So, 3² = 9.
8² = 8 x 8 = 64 So, 8² = 64.

square
A rectangle with 4 equal sides
Example:
26 in.
26 in.26 in.
26 in.

sphere
A solid figure that has the shape of a round ball; all points are the same distance from the center
Example:


solve an equation
To find the value of a variable that makes an equation true
Example:
c - 12 = 17 Write the equation.
c - 12 + 12 = 17 + 12 Add 12 to each side.
c = 29

solution
A value that, when substituted for a variable in an equation, makes the equation true
Example:
x + 4 = 7
Since 3 + 4 = 7, then x = 3.
So, 3 is the solution.

solid figure
A three-dimensional figure
Examples:

sphere
cube
cylinder
rectangular
prism
cone
square
pyramid

simulation
A model of an experiment that would be too difficult or too time-consuming to actually perform

simplest form
A fraction is in simplest form when the numerator and denominator have only 1 as their common factor
Example:


simple interest
A fixed percent of the principal, paid yearly
Example:
Carol invested $150 at a simple interest rate of 4%. Find the interest she will earn in 1 year.
I = prt
I = 150 x 4% x 1 p = $150, r = 4%, t = 1 year
I = 150 x 0.04 x 1 Multiply.
I = 6 So, the interest earned in 1 year is $6.

similar figures
Figures with the same shape but not necessarily the same size
Example:

The two figures are similar.

sequence
An ordered set of numbers
Example:
1, 5, 9, 13, . . .

self similarity
A figure has self-similarity if it contains a repeating pattern of smaller and smaller parts that are like the whole, but different in size
Example:


sector
A region enclosed by two radii and the arc joining their endpoints
Example:


scatterplot
A graph with points plotted to show a relationship between two variables
Example:


scalene triangle
A triangle with no congruent sides
Example:


scale drawing
A drawing that shows a real object smaller than (a reduction) or larger than (an enlargement) the real object
Example:


scale
The ratio between two sets of measurements
Example:
scale 1 cm : 2 m


scale
On a graph, the numbers placed at fixed distances to help label the graph
Example:


sales tax
A percent of the cost of an item, added onto the item's cost

sample
A part of a population

sample space
The set of all possible outcomes
Example:

The sample space is 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

rotational symmetry
The property of a figure that can be rotated less than 360° around a central point and still be congruent to the original figure
Example:


rotation (turn)
A movement of a figure by turning it around a fixed point
Example:


right triangle
A triangle with one right angle
Examples:


right angle
An angle formed by perpendicular lines, line segments, or rays and with a measure of 90°
Example:


rhombus
A parallelogram with four congruent sides
Example:


relation
A set of ordered pairs
Example:
(5,1) (10,2) (15,3) (20,4) (25,5)

repeating decimal
A decimal that doesn't end; it shows a repeating pattern of digits after the decimal point.
Examples:


regular polygon
A polygon in which all sides are congruent and all angles are congruent
Examples:


reflection (flip)
A movement of a figure to a new position by flipping it over a line
Example:


rectangular prism
A solid figure in which all six faces are rectangles
Example:


rectangle
A parallelogram with four right angles
Example:


reciprocal
One of two numbers whose product is 1; two numbers are reciprocals of each other if their product equals 1.
Example:


ray
A part of a line, with one endpoint, that continues without end in one direction
Example:


rational number
Any number that can be written as a ratio where a and b are integers and b 0
Examples:
0.5 ^-3 8

rate
A ratio that compares two quantities having different units of measure
Example:


ratio
The comparison of two numbers by division
Example:

Compare: Ratio: Type of Ratio:
red counters to all counters 2 to 5 part to whole
all counters to red counters 5 to 2 whole to part
red counters to yellow counters 2 to 3 part to part

range
The difference between the greatest and least numbers in a set of data
Example:
Month Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Temperature 82°F 83°F 83°F 82°F 82°F 80°F

random sample
A sample in which each individual or object in the population has an equal chance of being selected

radius
A line segment with one endpoint at the center of a circle and the other endpoint on the circle
Example:


quotient
The number, not including the remainder, that results from dividing
Example:
quotient


quadrilateral
A polygon with four sides
Examples:


quadrants
The four regions of the coordinate plane
Example:


Pythagorean Theorem
In any right triangle, if a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse, then a² + b² = c²
Example:

a² + b² = c² Replace the variables
with the known lengths.
3² + 4² = 5²
9 + 16 = 25
25 = 25

pyramid
A solid figure with a polygon base and all other faces triangles that meet at a common vertex
Examples:

rectangular pyramid triangular pyramid

proportion
An equation that shows that two ratios are equal
Example:


product
The answer to a multiplication problem
Example:
6
6 x 2 = 12 x 2
12
The product is 12.

Property of Zero
The property that states that the product of any number and zero is zero
Examples:
8 x 0 = 0
0 x a = 0

probability (P)
The chance that an event will occur expressed as the ratio of the number of favorable outcomes to the number of possible outcomes


prism
A solid figure that has two congruent, polygon-shaped bases, and other faces that are all rectangles
Examples:

rectangular prism triangular prism