Mathematical Terms
Perhaps while reading an article, you encountered a mathematical term that you weren’t familiar with, such as sum, difference, product, etc. Here is a short list of some basic mathematical terms and their meanings.
Numbers
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| integer | a number without a fractional part; also called a whole number | …, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, … |
| counting number | one of the positive integers or zero | 0, 1, 2, 3, … |
| real number | a number that may have digits after the decimal point | 14.702 |
| rational number | a number that can be written as a fraction of two integers | 25 3 |
| imaginary number | a number that includes the square root of −1 | 4 √ −1 |
| complex number | a number that includes a rational number and an imaginary number | 7 + 4 √ −1 |
Operators
| Term | Meaning | Sentence | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| and | add (+) | What is 7 and 4 and 6? | 7 + 4 + 6 = 17 |
| difference | subtract (−) | The difference between 10 and 6 is 4. | 10 − 6 = 4 |
| is | equals (=) | 25 plus 3 is 28: | 25 + 3 = 28 |
| of | multiply (*) | What is 25% of $40? | 0.25 * $40 = $10 |
| per | divide (/) | I drove my car for 290 miles using 10 gallons of gasoline, so my car got 29 miles per gallon. | 290 10 |
| plus | add (+) | What is 7 plus 4 plus 6? | 7 + 4 + 6 = 17 |
| product | multiply (*) | What is the product of 6 and 3? | 6 * 3 = 18 |
| sum | add (+) | What is the sum of 7, 4, and 6? | 7 + 4 + 6 = 17 |
Parts of an Expression
- sum = augend + addend
- difference = minuend − subtrahend
- product = multiplicand * multiplier
- product = baseexponent
- quotient = dividend / divisor
- quotient =dividenddivisor
6 quotient divisor 4 27 dividend − 24 3 remainder
Geometry
| Term | Meaning | Sentence | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| perimeter | The distance around the outside of a shape. The perimeter always has distance units such as meters or feet. | What is the perimter of a rectangle that is 5 cm wide and 3 cm tall? |
5 cm + 3 cm + 5 cm + 3 cm = 16 cm
2 * 5 cm + 2 * 3 cm = 16 cm
2 * (5 cm + 3 cm) = 16 cm
|
| area | The amount of two-dimensional space that a shape occupies. Because it is a measurement of two-dimensional space, the area always has units of distance squared such as meters2 or feet2. | What is the area of a rectangle that is 5 cm wide and 3 cm tall? | 5 cm * 3 cm = 15 cm2 |
| volume | The amount of three-dimensional space that a shape occupies. Because it is a measurement of three-dimensional space, the volume always has units of distance cubed such as meters3 or feet3. | What is the volume of a cubic that is 5 cm wide, 4 cm deep, and 3 cm tall? | 5 cm * 4 cm * 3 cm = 60 cm3 |