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About This Quiz
One of the benefits of majoring in math is the lack of reading and writing papers, right? WRONG! Math has its own language and it is important to be fluent in it if you plan to ace every test! Knowing your math vocabulary is half the battle when deciding what formula to use to get the correct answer. What's even more important to note is that everyday words can have a completely different meaning when they are connected to math. This is a major reason to refresh your math vocabulary!
Now, taking a course in math vocabulary may not be as creative or elegant as a course in creative writing or persuasive speech, but it is nonetheless important for a mathematician! From algebra to combinatorics, math vocabulary can get pretty extensive. Even the most strait-laced students can get a little fuzzy when recalling words they do not see or use every day. This is why studying your math vocabulary can have its benefits! Put yourself to the test and refresh your math vocabulary. You might be surprised at what you get, you could be the next Carl Gauss (one of the greatest mathematicians in history)! Or a mathematician vocabulary connoisseur in the making.
What are numbers without a fractional part called?
Integers
Integers are numbers without fractions, which is why they are known as whole numbers. Pi, for example, is not an integer, because it is 3.14 and not 3 or 4. Most people just call integers numbers, which includes negative numbers.
Domain numbers
Prime numbers
Mode
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What is an arithmetic mean?
An arithmetic mean is the midpoint of a set of numerical values after they been numerically sorted.
An arithmetic mean is the "average" of a set of numerical values.
An arithmetic mean is the "average" of a set of numerical values. We typically learn this as "average" instead of "mean" in elementary school, adding up all the numbers in a set and dividing by the set of numbers to determine the average.
An arithimetic mean is any integer that can be divided into without a remainder.
An arithmetic mean is the value of a range of values.
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What is the term used to describe a set of instructions used to solve a problem?
Algorithm
Although the word "algorithm" can be used to describe the process of solving math equations or any other set of instructions, we often hear it now with regard to advertising on our social media. Have you seen people complain about the "Facebook algorithm" when they see unwanted ads? That's because Facebook is looking at all your interactions and demographics and making decisions about what to show you.
Equation
Instructions
Rational
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What is the term used to describe the vertex at the tip of a cone or pyramid?
Range
Arcsin
Angle
Apex
The pyramid is a three-dimensional shape. A triangle is its two-dimensional analogue, similar to how a sphere is the three-dimensional version of a circle and a cube is that of a square.
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What is the term used to describe something exactly equal in size and shape?
Congruent
Congruent means exactly the same or identical. In geometry, congruent figures are identical, although you may see some tricky iterations like mirror images, making congruent figures *seem* incongruent.
Perpendicular
Slope
Associative property
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What word is use to describe the distance around the outside of a circle?
Circular arc
Perimeter
Area
Circumference
In order to determine circumference, you would use the formula 2πr. That means that if you multiply the radius of the circle by 2 and by the number pi, you'll know how far around it is.
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What is the term used in reference to the equation relating the sines of the interior angles of a triangle and the corresponding opposite sides?
Law of Cosines
Cosecant
Law of Sines
The Law of Sines is a trigonometric term that describes how angles relate to the opposite sides of a triangle. Committing these laws to memory will help you if you're studying precalc or calculus! It is described as follows: a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C
Measure of an Angle
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Half the difference between the minimum and maximum values of the range is called what?
Vertex
Chord
Scalene Triangle
Amplitude
Amplitude can be a confusing term, because we often think of "amp" as related to making things louder, or amplify. In fact, amplitude simply describes how far a wave ranges in distance from zero.
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What do you call the horizontal line drawn as part of a fraction or radical?
Vinculum
Here's a word you probably never thought you'd need to know! Vinculum is just a line, but it's a very particular sort of line: one that indicates that an operation beneath it needs to be done altogether or that the items below it are a unit.
Radicand
Upsilon
Transversal
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What are ordinal numbers?
Numbers that are used to describe the denoting quantity
Numerical words that indicate order, such as first, second, third and fourth
Ordinal numbers go ... you guessed it ... in order! Cardinal numbers are just positive integers, beginning with zero. Of course, math has many words to describe the same idea ... or maybe that's an English problem!
Numbers describing the elements in a set
Elements in either finite or infinite sets
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What term describes the center of a triangle?
Cusp
Concave
Median
Centroid
Every triangle has three "medians" that are straight lines from the vertex, or meeting point of two lines, to the midpoint of the opposite side. Where all three medians intersect is the centroid.
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What term describes a ring-shaped object bounded by two concentric circles?
Arccosine
Annulus
An annulus is just the math term for a ring. If you subtract the area of the open space from the area of the entire circle, you can figure out the area of the ring itself. Seems scary, but t's actually pretty approachable!
Cotangent
Inverse function
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What is the mathematical meaning of "solid"?
The total area of the exterior surface of a shape
The term used to describe the of surfaces and solids in space
It is the term for all bounded three-dimensional geometric figures.
The word "solid" in geometry is just another way to say three-dimensional, like a cube or rectangular prism. Don't worry, that doesn't mean that two-dimensional shapes are liquids, gases or vapors.
A geometric figure in three dimensions excluding interior points
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What term is described as a "three-dimensional figure with a single base tapering to an apex"?
Cone
Think about an ice cream cone: unlike other geometric figures, it tapers to an end that you need to get to before the ice cream makes it soggy. We'd have a major mess if we were served ice cream in edible cylinders instead!
Triangle
Pyramid
Cylinder
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This term describes something being limitless or endless in space.
Infinity
If you really think about it, Buzz Lightyear's "To infinity ... and beyond" is impossible, because infinity is our definition for the most beyond — infinity is as far as it goes.
Never-ending
Unbounded
Pythagorean Theorem
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Which term describes a curve similar to the sine function?
Sinusoid
A sinusoid is defined as a curve similar to the sine function, but shifted either in phase, amplitude, period or some combination of these. We're just glad it's not related to stuffy noses and headaches.
Amplitude
Harmonic Addition Theorem
Fourier Series
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What is used to measure angles?
Radii
Range
Radian
A radian is a seriously intense concept. You know what a radius is, right? Imaging lying the length of the radius along the circumference of the circle. The angle those two lines create is called the "radian." 3.4 radians = 180 degrees, which is a half-circle. Is your mind blown yet?
Circular arc
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Select the term that defines a number that has to be multiplied times itself three times to equal a given number.
Rational exponents
Cube root
The cube root of 8 is 2. How do you get that? Divide 8 by 2: 4. Then divide it by 2 again: 2! Cubes are created when we multiply a number by itself and then by itself again: 2 x 2 x 2 = 8, so 2 cubed = 8, and the cube root is the opposite operation, making the cube root of 8 = 2.
Domain
Square root
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Which term defines the number that is used to multiply a variable or powers of variables in an algebraic expression?
Coefficient
A coefficient is defined as the number multiplied by a variable in an algebraic expression. An example of this would be the 2 in the equation 2x + 5 =11. In this equation, x = 3, so 2 x 3 = 6, and 6 + 5 = 11.
Combinatorics
Polynomial
Axes
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What is the term used to describe how far a number is from zero?
Collinear
Absolute value
Absolute value describes how far any number is from zero, whether that number is positive or negative. So absolute value is always a positive value, although — surprise! — it can also equal zero.
Diameter
Coplanar
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The bottom part of a fraction is called what?
Denominator
The denominator is what is being divided. In the equation 56 / 8 = 7, the divisor is 8, which means that you have 56 of something and you're splitting it into groups of 8. You end up with 7 groups of 8 (or 8 groups of 7, if 7 is the divisor).
Nominator
Ellipse
Dividend
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What term describes a line with zero slope?
Polynomial
Hypotenuse
Vertical
Horizontal
A horizontal line runs from left to right without going up or down, so it has zero slope. You probably don't want your life to have zero slope, because nothing would ever change!
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A number that cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers is called what?
Inverse
Irrational number
A real number that can't be made by dividing two integers is known as an irrational number. Have you heard of the number e. That's one. So is pi! On the other hand, 1/3, which is a never-ending decimal, is a rational number because it can be expressed with a fraction.
Inequality
Asymptotes
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What is a hexagon?
A hexagon is a six-sided 2-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a six-sided polygon. Examples of hexagons are all around us and include honeycomb, stop signs, and even fly eyes! Other polygons are as simple as squares and as complicated as the chiliagon, which has 1,000 sides!
A hexagon is a six-sided 3-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a eight-sided 2-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a three-sided 2-dimensional shape.
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What is an Isosceles triangle?
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with two unequal sides.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with one 90-degree angle.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with three unequal sides.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with two equal sides.
In an isosceles triangle, the angles opposite the equal sides are also equal. Other types of triangles are equilateral, which has three equal sides, and scalene, which has no equal sides at all.
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What is the definition of proportion?
Two angles that share both a side and a vertex
A statement of equality between two ratios
If someone paints your portrait, you might want them to create a proportional piece of art: in other words, not a caricature where your head is much larger than any other body part.
The number of square units that covers a shape or figure
A multiple of two or more numbers
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Which of the following answers defines "square root"?
Any number which, when multiplied by itself, equals the number
Just like a cube is a number multiplied by itself two times, a square is a number multiplied by itself one time. So 2 squared is 4, and therefore the inverse, or square root, of 4 = 2. What's the square root of 16? How about 144?
The set of all rational and irrational numbers
A value that does not change
The set of all numbers that can be written as the ratio of two integers with a non-zero denominator
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Which term defines "Graphical representation of the relationship between two numerical sets of data"?
Line graph
Pie charts
Scatterplot
A scatterplot takes a set of data and plots each point on a plane without drawing any lines between them. Therefore the viewer can see each element and draw their own conclusions about relationships between the data points.
Histogram
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The distance across a circle is called what?
Circumference
Chord
Diameter
The diameter measures the distance from one side of a circle to the other. The diameter is double the radius. Fun fact: Pi is equal to a circle's circumference divided by its diameter, although, spoiler, the result will always be 3.14!
Degree
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What does PEMDAS mean?
Line that divides a geometric figure into two congruent portions
A straight set of points that extends into infinity in both directions
The study of sound reasoning
Order of operations acronym
PEMDAS might be something you learned as a kid. It helps you remember the order of operations and when to do what: Start with parentheses, then exponents, multiplication and division, and finally addition and subtraction.
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Which term defines the study of sound reasoning?
Logic
Logic looks for consistency and validity in its results. If you've seen geometric proofs, they're using mathematical logic to offer evidence and reasoning. It's another way of "showing your work."
Mode
Median
Perpendicular
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What is the definition of an acute angle?
An angle with a measure less than 45°
An angle with a measure less than 90°
An acute angle is less than 90°. All triangles have a total of 180° in their three angles. A triangle may have three 60° angles, making it equilateral, or it may have angles of different sizes.
An angle with a measure more than 90°
An angle with a measure that equals to 90°
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What is the definition of arc?
Part of a circle’s curve between two points along its circumference
An arc is any portion besides the entire curve of the circumference of a circle. A chord is a line inside the circle whose endpoints touch the circle, making the diameter the longest chord in any circle.
The measure, in square units, of the inside of a plane figure
An arrangement of objects in equal rows
A characteristic of an object
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Which term describes a model that uses bars to represent quantities, known or unknown, and the relationship between them.
Bar model
A bar model offers a visual representation to show the relationship between quantities. For example, you might see bars of different sizes with numbers in them to help teach algebra. If you saw a large bar that said 16 and a smaller bar that said 3x, you would surmise that x is less than 6. If you saw equal bars that said 18 and 3x, you would surmise that x = 6.
modal model
Line graph
Formula
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What term is defined as a single object, the lowest counting number?
Beta
One
One may be the loneliest number, but we learn all about "one" early. It's the first number most of us learn, and the first math concept we learn, often before we can even string words together!
Sum
Range
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You Got:
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