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.