Math Vocabulary
Associative Property of Addition
(a+b)+c=a+(b+c) ; The grouping of addends does not affect their sum
Associative Property of Multiplication
(ab)c = a(bc); changing the grouping of factors in a product does not change the product
numerical expression
A mathematical phrase that includes only numbers and operation symbols: 60+25, 42÷7+5.
less than
A number to the left of another number on the number line: 6<8. The symbol is also called less than.
more than
A number to the right of another number on the number line. 8>6. The symbol is also called more than.
base
A side of a polygon or a face of a solid figure by which the figure is measured. A height or altitude intersects the base.
zero property
Adding zero to a number does not change the number's value: 0+7=7, 0+11y=11y.
variable expression
An expression that uses one or more letters to represent one or more numbers: 8y, -2yz+3z.
total
Another name for sum. Often used for more than one adden: 8+9+23+17=57.
evaluate
Find what a math expression equals, often by substituting a value for a variable: 3x7=21 or 8y=?, y=4, 8x4=32.
increased by
If you increase a value by an amount or number, it becomes bigger by that amount or number.
PEMDAS
In the order of operations, working left to right repeatedly: Parentheses, Exponents; then Multiplication, Division; then Addition, Subtraction.
difference
The amount by which one value is greater or smaller than another.
Absolute Value
The distance a number is from zero on a number line
absolute value
The distance from a point on the number line to zero, or the value of any number ignoring its sign (This makes the number positive.).
exponent
The number that indicates how many times the base is used as a factor: 4 X 4 X 4 = 4 cubed, 4 is the base; 3 is the exponent.
order of operations
The order in which the multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction are done within an expression when evaluating it.
associative property
The property which states that for all real numbers a, b, and c, their sum or product is always the same, regardless of their grouping: (a+b)+c=a+(b+c), (ab)c=a(bc).
identity property
The property which states that multiplying a number by 1 does not change the number's value: 6 X 1 = 6, 1 x a = a, 3 x 2/2 = 6/2.
distributive property
The property which states that multiplying a sum by a number gives the same result as multiplying each addend by the number and then adding the products: a(b+c)=ab+ac.
commutative property
The property which states that two or more addends can be added or that two or more factors can be multiplied in any order without changing the sum or product., a+b=b+a
sum
The result after numbers and/or variables are added: 13+2=15, 3y+34y=37y.
quotient
The result after numbers and/or variables are divided: 7÷2=7/2, 8y÷2=4.
product
The result after numbers and/or variables are multiplied: 7x9=63, 9x7y=63y.
simplify
The result of either combining like terms in an expression: 4y+3y+2=7y+2 or using the property of a/a=1 to reduce a fraction so that no common factor exists in both the numerator and denominator: 18/21=6/7.
whole number
The set of natural numbers and 0, {0, 1, 2, 3, . . .}.
Integer
The set of whole numbers and their opposites
integer
The set of whole numbers and their opposites: 8, -23, 14/2.
Adding a positive and a negative integer
The sum may be either positive or negative
Adding negative integers
The sum will be negative
Adding positive integers
The sum will be positive
power
The value of a number represented by a base and an exponent or simply the expression formed by a base and exponent.
Identity Property of Addition
This property states that the sum of any number & zero is that number; n + 0 = n
Distributive Property of Multiplication Over Addition
This property states that to mulitiply a sum by a number, you can multiply each addened by the same number and add the products., a(b + c) = ab + ac
Distributive Property of Multiplication Over Subtraction
This property states that to multiply a difference by a number, you can multiply each number in the subtraction expression by that number and subtract the two products.: a(b - c) = ab - ac
Subtraction
To add the opposite
Inverse Property of Addition
a + (-a) = 0; , a + (-a) = 0; the sum of a number and its opposite is 0
Inverse Property of Multiplication
a(1/a)=1; this property states then when a number is multiplied by its reciprocal, the result is one
Commutative Property of Addition
a+b=b+a; the order of the addends does not affect the sum
Commutative Property of Multiplication
ab=ba; , changing the order of numbers will not affect their product
Positive Integer
an integer that is greater than zero
Negative integer
an integer that is less than zero
Identity Property of Multiplication
the product of any number and 1 is equal to the original number (a x 1 = a)
Opposite
two numbers that are the same distance from zero on a number line but have different signs