construction math vocabulary

Architect's scale

A specialized ruler used in making or measuring reduced scale drawings. It Is marked with a range of calibrated ratios used for laying out distances, with scales indicating feet, inches, and fractions of inches. Used on drawings other than site plans.

Circle

a closed curved line around a central point. A circle measures 360 degrees.

Triangle

a closed shape that has three sides and three angles.

Mixed number

a combination of a whole number with a fraction or decimal.

Rectangle

a four-sided shape with four 90-degree angles. Opposite sides of a rectangle are always parallel and the same length. Adjacent sides are perpendicular and are not equal in length.

Improper fraction

a fraction whose numerator is larger than its denominator.

Formula

a mathematical process used to solve a problem

Pi

a mathematical value of approximately 3.14 used to determine the area and circumference of circles. It is sometimes symbolized by pi.

Fraction

a number represented by a numerator and denominator.

Vertex-

a point at which two or more lines or curves come together.

Machinist's rule

a ruler that is marked so that the inches are divided into 10 equal parts, or tenths.

Square

a special type of rectangle with four sides and four 90-degree angles. The product of a number multiplied by itself.

Metric scale

a straightedge measuring device divided into centimeters, with each centimeter divided into 10 millimeters, usually used for architectural drawings.

Engineer's scale

a tool for measurement distances and transferring measurement at a fixed ration of length. It is use to draw to scale.

Equilateral triangle

a triangle that has three equal sides and three equal anglers.

Isosceles triangle

a triangle that has two equal sides and two equal angles.

Right triangle

a triangle with sides of unequal lengths.

Scalene triangle

a triangle with sides of unequal lengths.

Degree

a unit of measurement for angles.

Right angle

an angle that measures 90 degrees. The two lines that form a right angle are perpendicular to each other. This is the angle used most in the trades.

Standard ruler

an instrument that measures English lengths(inches, feet, and yards)

Adjacent angles

angles that have the same vertex and one side in common.

Acute angle

any angle between 0 degrees and 90 degrees.

Obtuse angle

any angle between 90degrees and 180 degrees.

Digit

any of the numerical symbols 0-9.

Whole numbers

complete units without fractions or decimals.

Equivalent fractions

fractions having difference numerators and denominators, but equal values, such as half and two fourth.

Metric ruler

instrument that measure metric lengths. Units of measure include millimeters, centimeters, and meters.

English ruler

instrument that measures English measurements; also called the standard ruler. Units of English measure include inches, feet, and yards.

Diagonal

line drawn from one corner of a rectangle or square to the farthest opposite corner.

Cubic

measurement found by multiplying a number by itself three times; it describes volume measurement.

Positive numbers

numbers greater than zero

Negative numbers

numbers less than zero.

Percent

of or out of one hundred.

Decimal

part of a number represented by digits to the right of a point, called a decimal point.

Volume

the amount of space occupied in three dimensions (length, width, and height/depth/thickness).

Product

the answer to a multiplication problem.

Meter

the base unit of length in the metric system; approximately 39.37 inches.

Circumference

the distance around the curved line that's form a circle.

Perimeter

the distance around the outside of any closed shape, such as a rectangle, circle, or square.

Radius

the distance from a center point of a circle to any point on the curved line, or half the width (diameter) of a circle.

Place value

the exact quantity of a digit determined by its place within the whole number or by its relationship to the decimal point.

Reminder

the leftover amount in a division problem.

Diameter

the length of a straight line that crosses from one side of a circle, through the center point, to a point on the opposite side. The diameter is the longest line you can draw inside a circle.

Numerator

the part of a fraction above the dividing line.

Denominator

the part of a fraction below the dividing line.

Quotient

the result of a division.

Difference

the result you get when you subtract one number from another.

Angle

the shape made by two straight lines coming together at a point. The space between those two lines is measured in degrees.

Area

the surface or amount of space occupied by a two-dimensional object such as a rectangle, circle, or square. To calculate the area for rectangles and square multiply the radius squared and pi.

Sum

the total in an addition problem.

Convert

to change from one unit of expression to another.

Bisect

to divide into equal parts.

Borrow

to move numbers from one value column (such as the tens column) to another value column (such as units) to perform subtraction problems.

Invert

to reverse the order or position of numbers.

Carry

to transfer an amount from one column to another column.

Opposite angles

two angles that are formed by two straight lines crossing. They are always equal

Straight angle

180-degree angle or flat line.