Skip to main content

Glossary


A

  • Absolute value

    An absolute value of a number x, written as |x|, is the distance from x to 0 on a real number line.
    See Absolute Value Equation

  • Accuracy

    How close a measurement is to an actual value.

  • Algebra

    The branch of mathematics involving the rules of operations and relations when working with variables.


B

  • Bar graph

    A graph with rectangular bars (plotted either vertically or horizontally) with lengths proportional to the values they represent.
    See Pie Charts & Bar Graphs

  • BEDMAS

    The most common acronym for order of operations, meaning Brackets first, then Exponents, Division, Multiplication, Addition, and Subtraction.
    See Order of Operations

  • Binomial

    A polynomial with two terms or a sum of two monomials; e.g. 5x + 1.
    See Expanding


C


D

  • Decimal
    A base 10 number written with a decimal point; e.g. 13.5
  • Denominator
    A bottom number of the fraction, also known as the divisor; e.g. 5 is a denominator in 3/5.
  • Dependent Variable
    A variable that depends on one or more other variables; e.g. y is the dependent variable of y = x2
  • Derivative
    The slope of the tangent line to a curve at a particular point. The derivative of a function ff can also be thought of as the instantaneous rate of change of the corresponding function at the given point, commonly written as f′(x).
    See Derivative Rules
  • Diagonal Matrix
    A square matrix that has entries along the main diagonal and zeros everywhere else.
    See Special Matrices and Definitions
  • Domain
    The set of all values that the independent variable can take on.
    See Domain and Range
  • Dot Product
    Also called the Euclidean inner product, the dot product of a and b is denoted by a⋅b and is calculated by multiplying corresponding components of a and b and adding the resulting products to obtain a single number.
    See Dot and Cross Product

E


F

  • Factor

    A term that exactly divides a given term; e.g. x3 is a factor of 5x7y2 since (x3)(5x4y2) = 5x7y2

    See Factoring

  • Factorial

    The factorial of a nonnegative integer n, denoted by n!, represents the product of all the positive integers less than or equal to n; e.g. 5! = 5×4×3×2×1.

    See Factorials

  • FOIL
    The acronym which stands for First, Outer, Inner, Last. It is used for finding the product of two binomials, which is given by the sum of the product of the First terms, the Outer terms, the Inner terms, and the Last terms.
    See Expanding
  • Fraction
    A rational number expressed as the ratio of two numbers, written as a/b where a and b are integers and b≠0.
    See Intro to Fractions
  • Frequency
    The number of complete cycles per unit time. Frequency is the reciprocal of period.
    See Setting up Trigonometric Models
  • Function
    A mathematical rule, between two sets, which assigns to each value from the first set exactly one value, called f(x), from the second set.
    See Introduction to Functions

G

  • Greatest Common Factor
    The largest number that divides two or more numbers evenly; e.g. The greatest common factor of 8 and 12 is 4.

H

  • Histogram
    A graphical summary that shows how many observations fall into a particular class.
    See Histograms

I

  • Identity Matrix

    A square matric with 1's on th main diagonal and 0's everywhere else. 

    See Special Matrices and Definitions

  • Improper Fraction
    A fraction in which the numerator is greater than (or equal to) the denominator; e.g. 4/3 or 9/7.
    See Introduction to Fractions
  • Independent Variable
    A variable which can be assigned any permissible value without considering values of any other variable; e.g. x is the independent variable of y = x2.
  • Inequality

    An algebraic relation showing that a quantity is greater than (>), greater than or equal (), less than (<), or less than or equal to () another quantity.

    See Inequalities

  • Intersection of Sets
    The intersection of two sets A and B, denoted by A∩B, is the set of all elements which are in both A and B; e.g. {1,2,3,7}∩{1,2,5,7,8} = {1,2,7}.
    See Sets
  • Inverse Function
    A function obtained by solving for x as the dependent variable and y as the independent variable, and renaming them according to the usual convention.
    See Inverses
  • Irrational Number
    A real number that cannot be written as a fraction; not a rational number; e.g. π,e,√5, etc.

L


M


N


O


P

  • Parabola
    A conic section obtained from the intersection of a cone and a plane.  Any point on a parabola is an equal distance from a fixed point (focus) and a fixed straight line (directrix).  A parabola always has a quadratic equation.
    See Parabolas
  • Percent

    Percent means per hundred; e.g. 45/100 is equal to 45%.

    See Decimal and Percent

  • Perimeter
    The distance around a two-dimensional shape.
  • Period
    In math, the period is the smallest interval or horizontal distance required for the graph of a periodic function to complete one cycle; e.g. the period of y = sin(x) is 2π.
    See Introduction to Trigonometric Functions
  • Periodic
    Recurrent or self-duplicating at regular intervals.
    See Introduction to Trigonometric Functions
  • Phase Shift
    Horizontal shift for a periodic function; e.g. y = cos(x−π) has a phase shift of π.
    See Setting up Trigonometric Models
  • Pie Chart
    A circular chart divided into sectors, each sector representing a proportion of the quantities.
    See Pie Charts & Bar Graphs
  • Piecewise Function

    A function defined by two or more different functions on a sequence of intervals.

    See Piecewise-defined Functions

  • Polynomial
    A mathematical expression involving a sum of terms, each term consisting of a constant multiplied by a variable with non-negative integer exponent; e.g. 4x2+7x−34 is a polynomial.
  • Positive Number
    A real number greater than zero.
  • Power Rule
    A formula for finding the derivative of a power xn (where n is a real number) :  d xn = nxn-1
                                                                                                                                    dx
    See Derivative Rules
  • Precision
    The level of detail in a number or measurement.  A measurement may be precise without being accurate.
  • Product Rule

    In Calculus, a formula for finding the derivative of a product of two functions:  if both f and g are differentiable, (f⋅g)′ = f′⋅g + g′⋅f

    See Derivative Rules

  • Proper Fraction