Math Expressions Vocab (Grade 5) All Words

y-axis

The vertical axis of the coordinate plane.

cubic unit

The volume of a unit cube. A cubic unit is a unit for measuring volume.

base

in a power, the number that is used as a repeated factor

exponent

in a power, the number that tells how many times the base is used as a factor.

additive comparison

A comparison in which one quantity is an amount greater or less than another. An additive comparison can be represented by an addition equation.

unit cube

A cube with side lengths of 1 unit

mile (mi)

A customary unit of length equal to 5,280 feet or 1,760 yards

ton (T)

A customary unit of weight that equals 2,000 pounds.

line plot

A diagram that uses a number line to show the frequency of data.

face

A flat surface of a three-dimensional figure.

unit fraction

A fraction with a numerator of 1. A unit fraction is one equal part of a whole

trapezoid

A quadrilateral with exactly one pair of parallel sides

parallelogram

A quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides.

square

A rectangle with four congruent sides. (Or, a rhombus with four right angles.)

Order of Operations

A rule that states the order in which the operations in an expression should be done:

numerical pattern

A sequence of numbers that share a relationship.

open shape

A shape that does not start and end at the same point

closed shape

A shape that starts and ends at the same point.

composite solid

A solid figure made by combining two or more basic solid figures.

rectangular prism

A solid figure with two rectangular bases that are congruent and parallel.

comparison

A statement, model, or drawing that shows the relationship between two quantities.

greater than (>)

A symbol used to show how two numbers compare. The greater number goes before the > symbol and the lesser number goes after.

less than (<)

A symbol used to show how two numbers compare. The lesser number goes before the < symbol and the greater number goes after.

coordinate plane

A system of coordinates formed by the perpendicular intersection of horizontal and vertical number lines.

frequency table

A table that shows how many times each outcome, item, or category occurs.

right triangle

A triangle with a right angle.

obtuse triangle

A triangle with an obtuse angle.

isosceles triangle

A triangle with at least two sides of the same length

scalene triangle

A triangle with no sides of the same length

acute triangle

A triangle with three acute angles

equilateral triangle

A triangle with three sides of the same length.

hundredth

A unit fraction representing one of one hundred equal parts of a whole, written as 0.01 or 1/100

thousandth

A unit fraction representing one of one thousand equal parts of a whole, written as 0.001 or 1/1000

tenth

A unit fraction representing one of ten equal parts of a whole, written as 0.1 or 1/10

centimeter (cm)

A unit of length in the metric system that equals one hundredth of a meter. 1 cm = 0.01 m

decimeter (dm)

A unit of length in the metric system that equals one tenth of a meter. 1 dm = 0.1 m

millimeter (mm)

A unit of length in the metric system that equals one thousandth of a meter. 1 mm = 0.001 m

expanded form

A way of writing a number that shows the value of each of its digits.

composite number

A whole number that has more than two factors.

Commutative Property of Multiplication

Changing the order of factors does not change the product. In symbols, a ⋅ b = b ⋅ a for any numbers a and b.

quotient

The answer to a division problem.

remainder

The number left over when a divisor does not divide evenly into a dividend

area

The number of square units that cover a two-dimensional figure without gaps or overlap.

dividend

The number that is divided in a division problem.

multiplier

The number the numerator and denominator of a fraction are multiplied by to get an equivalent fraction.

divisor

The number you divide by in a division problem.

origin

The point (0, 0) on the coordinate plane.

exponential form

The representation of a number that uses a base and an exponent.

product

The result of a multiplication.

y-coordinate

The second number in an ordered pair, which represents a point's vertical distance from the x-axis.

common denominator

A common multiple of two or more denominators

power of ten

A power with a base of 10. A number in the form 10n.

quadrilateral

A closed two-dimensional shape with four straight sides

polygon

A closed two-dimensional shape made from line segments that do not cross each other.

variable

A letter or other symbol used to stand for an unknown number in an algebraic expression.

edge

A line segment where two faces of a three-dimensional figure meet.

volume

A measure of the amount of space occupied by a solid figure. Volume is measured in cubic units.

decimal

A number that includes a decimal point separating the whole number part of the number from the fraction part of the number

mixed number

A number with a whole number part and a fraction part.

expression

A number, variable, or a combination of numbers and variables with one or more operations.

ordered pair

A pair of numbers that shows the position of a point on a coordinate plane.

rhombus

A parallelogram with four congruent sides.

rectangle

A parallelogram with four right angles

benchmark

A point of reference used for comparing and estimating. The numbers 0, , and 1 are common fraction benchmarks.

concave polygon

A polygon for which you can connect two points inside the polygon with a segment that passes outside the polygon. A concave polygon has a "dent."

regular polygon

A polygon in which all sides and all angles are congruent.

convex polygon

A polygon that is not concave. All the inside angles of a convex polygon have a measure less than 180°.

overestimate

An estimate that is too big.

underestimate

An estimate that is too small

comparison bars

Bars that represent the greater amount and the lesser amount in a comparison situation.

Associative Property of Addition

Changing the grouping of addends does not change the sum. In symbols, (a + b) + c = a + (b + c) for any numbers a, b, and c

Associative Property of Multiplication

Changing the grouping of factors does not change the product. In symbols, (a ⋅ b) ⋅ c = a ⋅ (b ⋅ c) for any numbers a, b, and c

Commutative Property of Addition

Changing the order of addends does not change the sum. In symbols, a + b = b + a for any numbers a and b

equivalent decimals

Decimals that represent the same value

estimate

Find about how many or about how much, often by using rounding or benchmarks

equivalent fractions

Fractions that represent the same value.

one-dimensional

Having a single dimension. Length is one-dimensional.

three-dimensional

Having three dimensions, usually length, width, and height.

two-dimensional

Having two dimensions, usually length and width.

simplify a fraction

Make an equivalent fraction by dividing the numerator and denominator of a fraction by the same number. Simplifying makes fewer but larger parts.

length

Measurement of how wide, tall, or long something is.

Distributive Property of Multiplication over Addition

Multiplying a number by a sum gives the same result as multiplying the number by each addend and then adding the products. a × (b + c) = a × b + a × c

factor

One of two or more numbers multiplied to get a product

meter (m)

The basic unit of length in the metric system.

perimeter

The distance around a figure

x-coordinate

The first number in an ordered pair, which represents a point's horizontal distance from the y-axis

word form

The form of a number that uses words instead of digits

standard form

The form of a number using digits, in which the place of each digit indicates its value

x-axis

The horizontal axis of the coordinate plane.

round

To change a number to a nearby number.

evaluate

To substitute values for the variables in an expression and then simplify the resulting expression.

simplify an expression

Use the Order of Operations to find the value of the expression.