Math Terms

Acute angle – An angle which measures below 90°.

Acute triangle – A triangle containing only acute angles.

Additive inverse – The opposite of a number or its negative. A number plus its additive inverse equals 0.

Adjacent angles – Angles with a common side and vertex.

Angle – Created by two rays and containing an endpoint in common.

Arc – A set of points that lie on a circle and that are positioned within a central angle.

Area – The space contained within a shape.

Average – The numerical result of dividing the sum of two or more quantities by the number of quantities.

Binomial – An expression in algebra that consists of two terms.

Bisect – To divide into two equal sections.

Canceling – In multiplication of fractions, when one number is divided into both a numerator and a denominator.

Cartesian coordinates – Ordered number pairs that are assigned to points on a plane.

Chord – A line segment that connects two points on a circle.

Circle – A set of points that are all the same distance from a given point.

Circumference – The distance measured around a circle.

Coefficient – A number that is placed in front of a variable. For example, in 6x, 6 is the coefficient.

Common denominator – A number that can be divided evenly by all denominators in the problem.

Complementary angles – Two angles in which the sum of their measurements equals 90°.

Complex fraction – A fraction that contains a fraction or fractions in the numerator and/or denominator.

Congruent – Exactly the same. Identical in regard to size and shape.

Coordinate graph – Two perpendicular number lines, the x axis and the y axis, which make a plane upon which each point is assigned a pair of numbers.

Cube – A solid with six sides, with the sides being equal squares and the edges being equal. Also, the resulting number when a number is multiplied by itself twice.

Cube root – A number that when multiplied by itself twice gives the original number. For example, 4 is the cube root of 64.

Decimal fraction – Fraction with a denominator of 10, 100, 1,000, etc., written using a decimal point.

Degree – The measurement unit of an angle.

Denominator – The bottom symbol or number of a fraction.

Diameter – A line segment that contains the center and has its endpoints on the circle. Also, the length of this segment.

Difference – That which results from subtraction.