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Basic College Mathematics Terms
A comprehensive list of College Mathematics terms
273
Mathematics
Undergraduate 1
07/16/2009

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Term
Absolute Value of a Number
Definition

The distance between zero

and the number on the number line.

Term
Acute Angle
Definition
An angle whose measure is between 0° and 90°.
Term
Acute Triangle
Definition
A triangle that has three acute angles.
Term
Addend
Definition
In addition, one of the numbers added.
Term
Addition
Definition
The process of finding the total of two numbers.
Term
Addition Property of Zero
Definition

Zero added to a number

does not change the number.

Term
adjacent angles
Definition
Two angles that share a common side.
Term
alternate exterior angles
Definition
Two nonadjacent angles that are on opposite sides of the transversal and outside the parallel lines.
Term
alternate interior angles
Definition
Two nonadjacent angles that are on opposite sides of the transversal and outside the parallel lines.
Term
angle
Definition
An angle is formed when two rays start at the same point; it measures in degrees.
Term
approximation
Definition

An estimated value

obtained by rounding an exact value.

Term
area
Definition
A measure of the amount of surface in a  region.
Term
Associative Property of Addition
Definition
Numbers to be added can be grouped (with parentheses, for example) in any order; the product will be the same.
Term
Associative Property of Multiplication
Definition
Numbers to be multiplied can be grouped (with parentheses, for example) in any order, the product will be the same.
Term
average
Definition

The sum of all numbers divided by

the number of those numbers.

Term
average value
Definition
The sum of all values divided by the number.
Term
balancing a checkbook
Definition

Determining whether the checking account

balance is accurate.

Term
bank statement
Definition
A document showing all the transactions in a bank account during the month.
Term
bar graph
Definition

A graph that represents data

by the height of the bars.

Term
base of a triangle
Definition
The side that the triangle rests on.
Term
basic percent equation
Definition
Percent times base equals amount
Term
borrowing
Definition

In subtraction, taking a unit from the next larger place value in the minuend and adding it to the number

in the given place value in order to

make that number larger than the

number to be subtracted from it.

Term
box-and-whiskers plot
Definition

A graph that shows the smallest value in a  set of numbers, the first quartile, the median, the third quartile, and the

greatest value.

Term
British thermal unit
Definition

A unit of energy.

1 British thermal unit = 778 foot-pounds.

Term
broken-line graph
Definition
A graph that represents data by the position of the lines and shows trends and comparisons.
Term
Calorie
Definition
A unit of ebergy in the metric system.
Term
Capacity
Definition
A measure of liquid substances.
Term
Carrying
Definition

In addition, transferring a number

to another column.

Term
center of a circle
Definition

The point from which all points

on the circle are equidistant.

Term
center of a sphere
Definition
The point from which all points on the surface of the sphere are equidistant.
Term
centi-
Definition
The metric system prefix that means one-hundreth.
Term
check
Definition

A printed form that, when filled out and signed, instructs a bank to pay a specified sum of money to the person

named on it.

Term
checking account
Definition
A back account that enables you to withdraw money or make payments to other people using checks.
Term
circle
Definition
A plane figure in which all points are the same distance from point O, which is called the center of the circle.
Term
circle graph
Definition

A graph that represents data

by the size of the sectors.

Term
circumference
Definition
The distance around the circle.
Term
class frequency
Definition

The number of occurences of data

in a frequency polygon.

Term
class interval
Definition
Range of numbers represented by by the width of a bar on a histogram.
Term
class midpoint
Definition

The center of a class interval

in a frequency polygon.

Term
commison
Definition
The part of the pay earned by a salesperson that is calculated as a percent of the salesperson's sales.
Term
common factor
Definition
A number that is a factor of two or more numbers is a common factor of those numbers.
Term
common multiple
Definition
A number that is a multiple of two or more numbers is a common multiple of those numbers
Term
Commulative Property of Addition.
Definition

Two numbers can be added in either order;

the sum will be the same.

Term
Commulative Property of Multiplication
Definition
Two numbers can be multiplied in either order; the product will be the same.
Term
complimentary angles
Definition
Two angles whose sum is 90°.
Term
composite geometric figure
Definition
A figure made from two or more geometric figures.
Term
composite geometric solid
Definition
A solid made from two or more geometric solids.
Term
composite number
Definition

A number that has whole-number factors

besides 1 and itself.

Term
compound interest
Definition
Interest computed not only on the original principal but also on interest already earned.
Term
congruent objects
Definition

Objects that have the same shape

and the same size.

Term
congruent triangles
Definition

Triangles that have the same shape

and the same size.

.

Term
constant term
Definition
A term that has no variables.
Term
conversion rate
Definition
A relationship used to change one unit of measurement to another.
Term
corresponding angles
Definition
Two angles that are ont he same side of a transversal and are both acute angles or are both obtuse angles.
Term
cost
Definition
The price that a business pays for a product.
Term
cross product
Definition
In a proportion, the product of the numerator on the left side of the proportion times the denominator on he right, and the product of the denominator on the left side of the proportion times the numerator on the right.
Term
cube
Definition

A rectangular solid in which all six faces

are squares.

Term
cubic centimeter
Definition
A unit a capacity equal to 1 millileter.
Term
cup
Definition

A U.S. Customary measure of capacity.

2 cups = 1 pint.

Term
cylinder
Definition
A geometric solid in which the bases are circles and are particular to the height.
Term
data
Definition
Numerical information.
Term
day
Definition

A unit of time.

24 hours = 1 day.

Term
decimal
Definition
A number written in decimal notation.
Term
decimal notation
Definition
Notation in which a number consists of a whole-number part, a decimal point, and a decimal part.
Term
decimal part
Definition
In decimal notation, that part of the number that appears to the right of the decimal point.
Term
decimal point
Definition
In decimal notation, the point that separates the whole-number part from the decimal part.
Term
degree
Definition

Unit used measure angles;

one complete revolution is 360°.

Term
denominator
Definition

The part of a fraction that appears below

the fraction bar.

Term
deposit slip
Definition
A form for depositing money in a checking account.
Term
diameter of a circle
Definition
A line segment with endpoints on the circle and going through the center.
Term
diameter of a sphere
Definition
A line segment with endpoints on the sphere and going throught the center.
Term
difference
Definition

In subtraction, the result of subtracting

two numbers.

Term
discount
Definition

The difference between the regular price

and the sale price.

Term
discount rate
Definition
The percent of a product's regular price that is represented by the discount.
Term
dividend
Definition
In division, the number into which the divisor is divided to yeild the quotient.
Term
division
Definition
The process of finding the quotient of two numbers.
Term
divisor
Definition
In division, the number that is divided into the dividentd to yeild the quotient.
Term
double-bar graph
Definition

A graph used to display data

for purposes of comparisons.

Term
down payment
Definition

The percent of a home's purchase price that the bank, when issuing a mortgage, requires the

borrowerto provide.

Term
empirical probability
Definition
The ratio of the number of observations of an event to the total number of observations.
Term
energy
Definition
The ability to work.
Term
equation
Definition

A statement of a the equality

of two mathematical expressions.

Term
equalateral triangle
Definition
A triangle that has three sides of equal length; the three angles are also of equal measure.
Term
equivalent fractions
Definition
Equal fractions with different denominators.
Term
evaluating a variable expression
Definition
Replacing the variable or variables with numbers and then simplifying the resulting numerical expression.
Term
event
Definition
One or more outcomes of an experiment.
Term
expanded form
Definition
The number 46,208 can be written in expanded form as 40,000 + 60200 + 200 + 0 + 8.
Term
experiment
Definition
Any activity that has an observable outcome.
Term
exponent
Definition
In exponentrial notation, the raised number that indicates how many times the number to which it is attached is taken as a factor.
Term
exponential notation
Definition
The expression of a number to some power, indicated by an exponent.
Term
factors
Definition
In multiplication, the numbers that are multiplied.
Term
factor of a number
Definition

The whole-number factors of a number

divide that number evenly.

Term
favorable outcomes
Definition
The outcomes of an experiment that satisfy the requirements of a particular event.
Term
finance changes
Definition

Interest charges on purchases

made with a credit card.

Term
first quartile
Definition
In a set of numbers, the number below which one-quarter of the data lie.
Term
fixed rate mortgage
Definition
A mortgage in which the monthly payment remains the same for the life of the loan.
Term
fluid ounce
Definition

A U.S Customary measure of capacity.

8 fluid ounces = 1 cup.

Term
foot
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of length.

3 feet + 1 yard.

Term
foot-pound
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of energy. One foot-pound is the amount ofenergy required to lift 1 pound a

distance of 1 foot.

Term
foot-pounds per second
Definition
A U.S. Costomary unit of power.
Term
formula
Definition

An equation that expresses

a relationship among variables.

Term
fraction
Definition

The notation used to represent

the number of equal parts of a whole.

Term
fraction bar
Definition

The bar that separates the numerator of a fraction

from the denominator.

Term
frequency polygon
Definition

A graph that displays information similarly to a histogram. A dot is placed above the center of each

class interval at a height corresponding to that class' frequency.

Term
Gallon
Definition

A U.S. Customary measure of capacity.

1 gallon = 4 quarts.

Term
geometric solid
Definition
A figure in space.
Term
gram
Definition
The basic unit of mass in the metric system.
Term
graph
Definition

A display that provides

a pictorial representation of data.

Term
graph of a whole number
Definition

A heavy dot placed directly above

that number on the number line.

Term
greater than
Definition

A number that appears to the right of a given number on the number line is greater than the

given number.

Term
greatest common factor (GCF)
Definition
The largest common factor of two or more numbers.
Term
height of a parallelogram
Definition
The distance between parallel sides.
Term
height of a triangle
Definition

A line segment perpendicular to the base

from the opposite vertex.

Term
histogram
Definition
A bar graph in which the width of each bar corresponds to a range of numbers called a class interval.
Term
horsepower
Definition

The U.S. Customary unit of power.

1 horsepower = 550 foot-pounds per second.

Term
hourly wage
Definition

Pay calculated on the basis of certain amount

for each hour worked.

Term
hypotenuse
Definition
The side opposite the right angle in a right triangle.
Term
improper fraction
Definition
A fraction greater than or equal to 1.
Term
inch
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of length.

12 inches = 1 foot.

Term
integers
Definition
The numbers {..., -3, -2, -1. 0, 1, 2, 3, ...}
Term
interest
Definition
Money paid for the privilege of using someone else's money.
Term
interest rate
Definition

The percent used to determine

the amount of interest.

Term
interquartile range
Definition

The difference between the third quartile

and the first quartile.

Term
intersecting lines
Definition
Lines that cross at a point in the plane.
Term
inverting a fraction
Definition
Interchanging the numerator and denominator.
Term
isosceles triangle
Definition
A triangle that has two sides of equal length; the angles oppisite the equal sides are equal measure.
Term
kilo-
Definition
The metric system prefix that means one thousand.
Term
kilowatt hour
Definition
A unit of electrical energy in the metric system equal to 1000-watt hours.
Term
least common denominator (LCD)
Definition
The least common multiple of denominators.
Term
least common multiple (LCM)
Definition

The smallest common multiple

of two or more numbers.

Term
legs of a right triangle
Definition
The two shortest sides of a right triangle.
Term
length
Definition
A measure of distance.
Term
less than
Definition
A number that appears to the left of a given number on a number line is less than the given number.
Term
license fees
Definition
Fees charged for authorization to operate a vehicle.
Term
like terms
Definition

Terms of a variable expression

that have the same variable part.

Term
line
Definition
A line extends indefinately in two directions in a plane; it has no width.
Term
line segment
Definition
Part of a line; it has two endpoints.
Term
liter
Definition
The basic unit of capacity in the metric system.
Term
loan origination fee
Definition

The fee a bank charges

for processing mortgage papers.

Term
markup
Definition
The difference between selling price and cost.
Term
markup rate
Definition

The percent of a product's cost

that is represented by the markup.

Term
mass
Definition
The amount of material in an object. On the surface of Earth, mass is the same as weight.
Term
maturity value of a loan
Definition
The pricipal of a loan plus the interest owed on it.
Term
mean
Definition
The sum of all values divided by the number of those values; also known as the average value.
Term
measurement
Definition
A measurement has both a number and a unit. Example: 7 feet.
Term
median
Definition

The value that seperates a list of values in such a way that there is the same number of values below

the median as above it.

Term
meter
Definition
The basic unit of length in the metric system.
Term
metric system
Definition

A system of measurement based

on the decimal system.

Term
mile
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of length.

5,280 feet = 1 mile

Term
mili-
Definition

The metric sytem prefix

that means one-thousandth.

Term
minuend
Definition
In subtraction, the number from which another number (the subtrahend) is subtracted.
Term
minute
Definition

A unit of time.

60 minutes = 1 hour.

Term
mixed number
Definition
A number greater than 1 that has a whole number part and a frational part.
Term
mode
Definition

In a set of numbers,

the value that occurs most frequently.

Term
monthly mortgage payment
Definition
One of 12 payments due each year to the lender of money to buy real estate.
Term
mortgage
Definition
The amount borrowed to buy real estate.
Term
multiples of a number
Definition

The products of that number

and the numbers 1, 2, 3, ...

Term
multiplication
Definition
The process of finding the product of two numbers.
Term
Multiplication Property of One
Definition
The product of a number and one is the number.
Term
Multiplication Property of Zero
Definition
The product of a number and zero is zero.
Term
negative numbers
Definition
Numbers less than zero.
Term
natural numbers
Definition

The numbers {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ...}

Also called the positive integers.

Term
number line
Definition
A line on which a number can be graphed.
Term
numerator
Definition

The part of a fraction that appears

above the fraction bar.

Term
number coefficient
Definition
The number part of a variable term. When the numerical coefficient is 1 or -1, the 1 is usually not written.
Term
obtuse angle
Definition
An angle whose measure is between 90° and 180°.
Term
obtuse triangle
Definition
A triangle that has one obtuse angle.
Term
opposite numbers
Definition
Two numbers that are the same distance from zero on the number line, but on opposite sides.
Term
Order of Operations Agreement
Definition
A set of rules that tells us in what order to perform the operations that occur in a numerical expression.
Term
ounce
Definition

A U.S.Customary unit of weight.

16 ounces = 1 pound.

Term
parallel lines
Definition
Lines that never meet; the distance between them is always the same.
Term
parallelogram
Definition

A quadrilateral that has

opposite sides equal and parallel.

Term
percent
Definition
Parts per hundred.
Term
percent decrease
Definition

A decrease of a quantity, expressed

as a percent of its original value.

Term
percent increase
Definition

An increase of a quantity, expressed

as a percent of its original value.

Term
perfect square
Definition
The product of a whole number and itself.
Term
perimeter
Definition
The distance around a plane figure.
Term
period
Definition
In a number written in standard form, each group of digits separated from other digits by a comma or commas.
Term
perpendicular lines
Definition
Intrsecting lines that form right angles.
Term
pictograph
Definition
A graph that uses symbols to represent information.
Term
pint
Definition

A U.S. Customary measure of capacity.

2 pints = 1 quart.

Term
place value
Definition
The position of each digit in a number written in standard form determines that digit's place value.
Term
place-value chart
Definition

A chart that indicates the place value

of every digit in a number.

Term
plane
Definition
A flat surface.
Term
plane figure
Definition
Figures that lie totally in a plane.
Term
points
Definition
A term banks use to mean percent of a mortgage; used to express the loan origination fee.
Term
polygon
Definition
A closed figure determined by three or more line segments that lie in a plane.
Term
positive numbers
Definition
Numbers greater than zero.
Term
pound
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of weight.

1 pound = 16 ounces.

Term
power
Definition

The rate at which work is done

or energy is released.

Term
prime factorization
Definition

The expression of a number as the product

of its prime factors.

Term
prime number
Definition
A number whose only whole-number factors are 1 and itself. For instance, 13 is a prime number.
Term
principal
Definition

The amount of money originally deposited

or borrowed.

Term
probablility
Definition
A number from 0 to 1 that tells us how likely it is that a certain outcome of an experiment will happen.
Term
product
Definition
In multiplication the, the result of multiplying two different numbers.
Term
proper fraction
Definition
A fraction less than 1.
Term
property tax
Definition
A tax based on the value of real estate.
Term
proportion
Definition
An expression of the equality of two ratios or rates.
Term
Pythagorean Theorem
Definition
The square of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is equal to the sum of the squares of the two legs.
Term
quadrilateral
Definition
A four-sided closed figure.
Term
quart
Definition

A U.S. Customary measure of capacity.

4 quarts = 1 gallon.

Term
quotient
Definition

In division, the result of dividing the divisor

into the dividend.

Term
radius of a circle
Definition

A line segment going from the center

to a point in the circle.

Term
radius of a sphere
Definition

A line segment going from the center

to a point on the sphere.

Term
range
Definition
In a set of numbers, the difference between the largest and smallest values.
Term
rate
Definition

A comparison of two quantites

that have different units.

Term
ratio
Definition

A comparison of two quantities

that have the same units.

Term
rational number
Definition
A number that can be written as the ratio of two integers, where the denominator is not zero.
Term
ray
Definition

A ray starts at a point

and extends indefinately in one direction.

Term
reciprocal of a fraction
Definition

The fraction with the numerator

and denominator interchanged.

Term
rectangle
Definition
A parallelogram that has four right angles.
Term
rectangular solid
Definition
A solid in which all six figures are rectangles.
Term
rectangular poygon
Definition
A ploygon in which each side has the same length and each angle has the same measure.
Term
remainder
Definition
In division, the quantity left over when it is not possible to seperate objects or numbers into a whole number of equal groups.
Term
repeating decimal
Definition

A decimal in which a block of one or more digits

repeats orever.

Term
right angle
Definition
a 90° angle.
Term
right triangle
Definition
A triangle that contains one right angle.
Term
rounding
Definition
Giving an approximate value of an exact number.
Term
salary
Definition

Pay based on weekly, biweekly,

monthly, or annual time schedule.

Term
sale price
Definition
The reduced price.
Term
sales tax
Definition
A tax levied by a state or municipality on purchases.
Term
sample space
Definition
All the possible outcomes of an experiment.
Term
scalene triangle
Definition
A triangle that has no sides of equal length; no two of its angles are on equal measure.
Term
scientific notation
Definition
Notation in which a number is expressed as a product of two factors, one a number between 1 and 10 and the other a power of 10.
Term
second
Definition

A unit of time.

60 seconds = 1 minute.

Term
sector of a circle
Definition
One of the "pieces of the pie" in a circle graph.
Term
selling price
Definition

The price for which a business sells a product

to a customer.

Term
service charge
Definition

A sum of money by a bank

for handling a transaction.

Term
sides of a ploygon
Definition
The line segments that form the polygon.
Term
similar objects
Definition
Objects that have the same shape but not necessarily the same sixe.
Term
similar triangles
Definition
Triangles that have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
Term
simple interest
Definition
Interest computed on the original principal.
Term
simplest form of a fraction
Definition
A fraction is in simplest form when there are no common factors in the numerator and denominator.
Term
simplest form of a rate
Definition
A rate is in simplest form when the numbers that make up the rate have no common factor.
Term
simplest form of a ratio
Definition
A ratio is in simplest form when the two numbers do not have a common factor.
Term
simplifying a variable expression
Definition
Combining like terms by adding their numerial coefficients.
Term
solids
Definition
Objects in space.
Term
solution of an equation
Definition
A number that, when substituted for the variable, results in a true equation.
Term
solving an equation
Definition
Finding a solution of the equation.
Term
sphere
Definition
A solid in which all points are the same distance from point O, which is called the center of the sphere.
Term
square
Definition
A rectangle that has four equal sides.
Term
square root
Definition
A square root of a number is one of two identical factors of that number.
Term
standard form
Definition

A whole number is in standard form when it is written using the digits 0, 1, 2,....., 9.

An example is 46,208.

Term
statistics
Definition
The branch of mathematics concerned with data or numerial information.
Term
straight angle
Definition
A 180° angle.
Term
subtraction
Definition

The process of finding the difference

between two numbers.

Term
subtrahend
Definition
In subtraction, the number that is subtracted from another number (the minuend).
Term
sum
Definition
In addition, the total of the numbers added.
Term
supplementary angles
Definition
Two angles whose sum is 180°.
Term
terminating decimal
Definition
A decimal that has a finate number of digits after the decimal point, which means that it comes to an end and does not go on forever.
Term
terms of a variable expression
Definition
The addends of the expression.
Term
theoretical probability
Definition
A fraction with the number of favorable outcomes of an experiment in the numerator and the total number of possible outcomes of the experiment in the denominator.
Term
third quartile
Definition
In a set of numbers, the number above which one-quarter of the data lie.
Term
ton
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of weight.

1 ton = 2000 pounds.

Term
total cost
Definition
The cost of one item.
Term
transversal
Definition

A line intersecting two other lines

at two different points.

Term
triangle
Definition
A three-sided closed figure.
Term
true proportion
Definition
A proportion in which the fractions are equal.
Term
unit cost
Definition
The cost of one item.
Term
unit rate
Definition
A rate in which the number in the denominator is 1.
Term
variable
Definition
A letter used to stand for a quantity that is unknown or that can change.
Term
variable expression
Definition
An expression that contains one or more variable.
Term
variable part
Definition

In a variable term, the variable or variables

and their exponents.

Term
variable term
Definition

A term composed of a numerical coefficient

and a variable part.

Term
vertex
Definition

The common endpoint of two rays

that form an angle.

Term
vertical angles
Definition

Two angles that are on opposite sides

of the intersection of two lines.

Term
volume
Definition

A measure of the amount of space

inside a closed surface.

Term
watt-hour
Definition
A unit of electrical energy in the metric system.
Term
week
Definition

A unit in time.

7 days = 1 week.

Term
weight
Definition

A measure of how strongly Earth

is pulling on an object.

Term
whole numbers
Definition
The whole numbers are {0, 1, 2, 3, ...}
Term
whole-number part
Definition
In decimal notation, that part of the number that appears to the left of the decimal point.
Term
yard
Definition

A U.S. Customary unit of length.

36 inches = 1 yard.

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