Basic Math Definitions
Math traditionally involves the basic operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. More complicated math courses such as geometry incorporate the use of angles and shapes.
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Addition & Subtraction
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Addition increases the total, by adding to. Adding is essentially a quicker way of counting numbers. Addition terms are addends and sum. The numbers added together are named the addends, and the sum is the answer.
Subtraction decreases the total by taking away. It's the reverse of addition. Subtraction terms include subtrahend, minuend and difference. For example, in the subtraction problem 9-3=6, 9 is the minuend, 3 is the subtrahend, and 6 is the difference.
Multiplication
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Multiplication is a quicker way of adding. Instead of adding 5+5+5, multiply 5*3 to calculate the same answer. Multiplication uses special terms associated with it: factor and product. Factors are the numbers that are multiplied, and the product is the answer.
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Division
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Division determines how many times a number goes into something, or how the number can be divided. Division has some special terms associated with it: the dividend, divisor, quotient and remainder.
Suppose there was a pizza with eight slices and there were three people, and we wanted to know how many slices each person could eat. The problem would look like: 8÷3= 2, with a remainder 2. Each person could eat two pieces of pizza with an extra two pieces remaining.
Angles
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An angle is the point where two points, or rays, meet; the degree of the angle is the measurement between the two rays.
Acute angles are angles that measure between 0 and 90°. Obtuse angles measure between 90 and 180°. Right angles measure 90°.
Shapes
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Polygons are 2-dimensional shapes that are multisided with straight lines, traditionally broken down into five shapes: square, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram and trapezoid.
Squares have four equal sized sides with 90° angles. Rectangles have four sides with 90°angles; however sides are not all equal. A rhombus has four equal sides and angles; however, the angles are not 90°. Parallelograms have equal opposite sides and angles. Trapezoids are characterized by unequal angles and unequal sides.
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