Absolute Value

The number's distance from zero on a number line. The absolute value of a number x is denoted by |x| and 

|x| = x

x > 0 - x

x < 0

So with absolute value, we're not concerned with whether x is positive or negative, we just want to know how far it is away from zero. Because zero has had some problems with x in the past, and has applied for a restraining order.

Acute Angles

angle less that 90°; not "the nice one"

Acute Triangle

a triangle with three acute angles (angles less than 90°) ; so adorable and petite

Adjacent

next to each other; you want to sit adjacent to the hot guy/gal

Adjacent Angles

angles that share a side

Alternate Exterior Angles

angles on opposite sides of the transversal and on the exterior of the parallel lines

Alternate Interior Angles

angles on the opposite sides of the transversal and on the interior of the parallel lines

Angle

the shape formed when two rays meet at a common point (aka "the corner")

Apothem

the distance from the center of a regular polygon to the midpoint of one side

Area

The amount of space inside the boundary of a closed shape. As in, "there is x room to fit all the aliens inside Area 51."

Arithmetic Patterns

numbers in a pattern that are separated by a common difference

Base Of A Polygon

the bottom side of a polygon

Base Of A Solid

the bottom surface of an object; its tush

Basic Counting Principle

to find the total number of possible combinations multiply the number of options

Biased Questions

questions that try to influence the interviewee

Binomial

an algebraic expression with two terms

Box And Whisker Plot

a plot that displays data broken into four quartiles, where the box represents Q1 to Q3 and the whiskers represent the extreme values

Cartesian Coordinate System

a system that has perpendicular axes, usually the x- and y-axis

Chord

a line segment connecting two points on a circle; not "do re mi"

Circle

A closed plane figure wherein points on the boundary are equidistant from the fixed center. More importantly, it is the shape of a pizza pie.

Common Denominator

the bottom part of fractions; in this case when more than one fraction has the same bottom as all the others

Commutative

when the order of the number doesn't matter; this works for addition and multiplication, but not subtraction nor division. 6 + 2 = 2 + 6 and 6 × 2 = 2 × 6

Complementary Angles

Angles that add up to 90°

Complementary Events

in probability, results that do not overlap with one another (when flipping a coin, if you get a tail, then the complementary event is getting a head)

Compound Events

in probability, when there is more than one outcome, which may (taking a second card after a first has been chosen) or may not (throwing two dice at the same time) affect the outcome of the other

Compound Interest

adding interest earned before calculating the new interest

Cone

chocolate or brownie fudge? ; a solid with circular base and a curved side that ends in one point and has one vertex; a duncecap

Congruent Angles

two or more angles that have the same measurement

Constant

A value that does not change. Like pride in one's football team. Exception: the entire Philadelphia Eagles fan base.

Coplanar

on the same plane

Correlation

how two variables relate to each other

Corresponding Angles

when a transversal intersects two lines, these angles are in the same position on each line. When a transversal crosses two parallel lines, corresponding angles are congruent

Coterminal Angles

angles that share a terminal side

Cross-Canceling

reducing the numerator of one fraction with the denominator of another when multiplying fractions; wearing bright orange on top might cancel the orange pants your date has on

Cube

a prism with six congruent faces, all right angles and parallel opposite faces; it is a form of a rectangular prism

Cylinder

a solid with two parallel circular bases; if you "unwrap" the middle section and lay it flat, it is a rectangle

Denominator

the bottom number of a fraction
A fraction's bottom. The fraction will usually try to keep this part of him covered up, but his mother will usually produce some scandalous baby picture of him in the tub where his denominator is clearly visible.

Diagonal

a line connecting two vertices of a polygon

Diameter

the distance across the center of a circle

Disperse

Spread or distribute over a wide area

Distribute

to spread the term in front of the parentheses to each term inside the parentheses; share the wealth

Dividend

A number that is to be divided by another number. Apparently, this other number got hold of a butcher's knife.

Divisor

the number doing the dividing
The number which a dividend is divided by. Or, the number doing the dividing. Whichever way makes the most sense to you. Either way, there's going to be some good old-fashioned dividing going on.

Edge

the intersection of two faces on a solid object; this is a line; "Livin' on the Edge"

Equation

An expression that states the equation of two algebraic expressions. Equations: bringing expressions together since 1931.

Equiangular

a figure where all angles are equal in measure

Equilateral Triangle

a triangle with three congruent sides

Equivalent

equal to

Experimental Probability

probability calculated by the outcome of an experiment or trial

Exponents

the power to which a number or expression is raised

Expression

a fragment of a mathematical sentence; it doesn't have a sign of equality

Extreme Values

the largest and smallest values in data set; think extremes - extreme sports are at the high end of danger

Face

a flat side of a 3-dimensional object

Factor

A number that divides evenly into another number. For example, 8 and 3 are factors of 24. Oh great—now we're really gonna hear it from 2, 4, 6 and 12. We said for example. Sheesh.

Factorial

the product of all positive integers less than or equal to the given number;  5! = 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 120; a very excited number

Fauna

Animals of a particular habitat or time period

Finite Decimals

decimals that have an ending; unlike that dreadful movie from last weekend that seemed to never end

Frequency

the number of times an event occurs; Jim asked Danielle out with uncommon frequency

Geometric Patterns

numbers in a pattern that are separated by a common ratio (number being multiplied)

Golden Ratio

a ideal proportion that occurs regularly in nature, architecture, and art; approximately 1.618 (not 6'0", 185...)

Greatest Common Factor (GCF)

The largest positive integer that divides evenly into two or more non-zero numbers. For example, the GCF of 18 and 24 is 6.

It is also known as the greatest common divisor or highest common factor. It goes by many names, and has a different passport for each. How Jason Bourne is that?

Hexagon

a six-sided figure

Hexagonal Prism

a prism with hexagons for bases; opposite faces are parallel

Hypotenuse

the side opposite the right angle in a right angle

Improper Fraction

A fraction that tells bawdy jokes in mixed company.

Oh, all right. You're no fun. An improper fraction is one in which the numerator is larger than the denominator, like 13/5 or 25/4. These can be expressed as mixed numbers. Keeping with the examples, these fractions could be written as 2 3/5 and 6 1/4, respectively. There, now our fractions aren't so top-heavy.

Inequality

A relation between two algebraic expressions that are not equal, expressed using symbols like <, >, ≤, ≥. However, those expressions are currently marching on Washington, and hopefully, someday soon, there will be equality for all.

Integers

natural numbers (1, 2, 3, 4,...), their negatives (..-4, -3, -2, -1) , and zero; from the root "untouched"; simply virginal numbers

Intercept

the place where a line or curve crosses an axis

Interquartile Range

the difference between the upper quartile and the lower quartile

Isosceles Trapezoid

a trapezoid with only one set of congruent sides and two sets of congruent angles and has all the characteristics of a trapezoid (see trapezoid)

Kite

a quadrilateral with two sets of adjacent congruent sides and only one set of congruent angles

Least Common Multiple (LCM)

The smallest integer that is a multiple of two or more integers. For example, the LCM of 4 and 6 is 12. If you take 36, on the other hand, it's a multiple of both numbers, but it is not the least common multiple. Don't get down on yourself, 36. You'll have your day in the sun.

Like Terms

Two terms that have the same variables raised to the same exponent. Like terms may have different coefficients. We give them permission.

Line

a straight path passing through at least two points that extends in both directions; imagine the fifty yard line going on forever

Line Segment

a portion of a line that has limits at each end; think football field - there is an out-of-bounds at each yard line

Linear

in a straight line

Mean

the sum of all numbers in a set divided by the number of data values

Median

the middle value in a data set

Mixed Number

A number expressed as a whole number and a fraction, like 2½ or 4¾. You'd never be able to bake a cake without these bad boys.

Mode

the number that occurs the most in a data set

Monomial

an algebraic expression with one term

Mutually Exclusive Events

in probability these are two or more outcomes that can't occur at the same time (like rolling a die and getting a 1 and a 3)

Negative Correlation

as one variable increases, the other decreases; like hours spent on homework and the amount of time your parents nag you

No Correlation

the variables have no relation; like hours spent on homework and height

Nonagon

a nine-sided figure

Numerator

The top part of a fraction.

"I'll be back... on top of the denominator." - Numerator II: Judgment Day

Obtuse Angle

an angle greater than 90°, but less than 180°; a not-very bright angle

Obtuse Triangle

a triangle with one obtuse angle (an angle greater than 90°)

Octagon

an eight-sided figure

Order Of Operations

The rule that states which operation takes precedence over others. The correct order is given by the acronym "PEMDAS," which can be remembered by using the mnemonic "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally." It stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction." It's something like a ranking system or a chain of command. So an exponent had better never go over a parenthesis' head, or it might be cited for insubordination.

Outlier

a number that is far greater or smaller than the rest of the data; it is calculated as 1.5(IQR) > Q3 or 1.5(IQR) < Q1; hopefully not your math score on the low end

Parallel Lines

lines that lie on the same plane and never intersect (Labeled as JK || LM )

Parallelogram

A four-sided, closed shape with straight lines and two pairs of opposite sides that are parallel. You can send someone a parallelogram for his or her birthday, but it is not as entertaining as a sing-o-gram.

Percent

The portion of a number out of 100. We're sure you can grasp this concept if you just give it 110%.

Perimeter

The length of the boundary of a closed shape. If the boundary is a light, bluish-purple and you can only see it out of the corner of your eye, it is a peripheral periwinkle perimeter. Just in case that ever comes up.

Perpendicular Lines

lines that intersect at a 90° angle; a linebacker's path while running at the quarterback

Pi

apple or cranberry? the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, 3.14159...; impress family and friends by memorizing to at least 10 digits

Place Value

each digit in a number has its own place; think Thanksgiving dinner; the ones place is to the left of Grandpa (or the decimal), tens place is far down from Aunt Gert

Plane

a flat surface without boundaries (Labeled by naming three nonlinear points on the plane,

Point

a single location usually drawn as a dot; "dimensionless" (labeled as point P)

Polygon

a closed figure of three or more sides

Positive Correlation

as one variable increases so does the other; like hours spent putting and accuracy (we hope)

Powers

math "shorthand" devices used to make writing long multiplication expressions easier and faster (also see exponents)

Prime

a number that is only divisible by one and itself; the first ten prime numbers are 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, and 31

Prism

a solid object with two congruent and parallel faces

Probability

the likelihood of an event occurring

Product

A molecule that is produced in a chemical reaction. Products are generated by reactants.

Proportion

a comparison between one part and the whole

Proportional

having a constant ratio; similar figures are proportional

Pyramid

a solid object with a polygon for a base and triangles for sides

Q1

quartile 1; the median of the lower half of the data set

Q2

quartile 2; the median of the entire data set

Q3

quartile 3; the median of the upper half of the data set

Quadrilateral

four-sided shapes

Quartile

one of three values that divide a data set into four equal sections

Quotient

The number obtained by dividing one number by another.

Did you know that I.Q. stands for Intelligence Quotient? That's because we can tell how smart you are by dividing your brain up into pieces. Sounds rough, but it's a relatively painless procedure.

Radius

the distance from the center of a circle to a point on the circle

Range

the difference between the highest and the lowest data value; on a golf driving range, the difference between your ball and that of Tiger's might be large

Ratio

a comparison between two or more quantities; the ratio the distance Drew Brees throws the football over the distance you throw it is probably a high number

Ray

a straight path with one terminal point and extending indefinitely in the other direction; think sunshine

Rectangle

A parallelogram with all angles equal to 90°. More importantly, it is the shape of a rectangular pizza.

Regular Polygon

an equilateral, equiangular polygon

Regular Prism

a prism with rectangular bases, six faces, all right angles and parallel opposite faces

Rhombus

a quadrilateral with parallel opposite sides, congruent opposite angles, supplementary adjacent angles and four congruent sides; a square after running a marathon might tilt like a rhombus

Right Angle

an angle that is exactly 90°; often seen with a small box in the corner

Right Triangle

a triangle with one right angle (a 90° angle); can also be on the left side

Roots

opposites of powers; trees have roots as do numbers; in this case it can be the square (the number that multiplied by itself twice equals), the cube (multipled three times), or the nth (you get the picture)

Scalene Triangle

a triangle with all sides of different lengths

Scatter Plots

a type of plot that shows individual data values; dog doing its business outside on a windy day might do this to the snow

Scientific Notation

an operation using exponents to write very large and very small numbers. For example, the scientific notation for .00004 is 4 X 10^-5

Secant

a line intersecting a circle at two points

Septagon

a seven-sided figure

Side

the straight edge of a polygon

Significant Digit

all non-zero digits in a number

Similar Figures

two figures that have the same shape, but not the same size; siblings - one exercises and one eats doughnuts

Slope

the steepness of a line, calculated as rise over run; think skiing (the bunny slope is less steep than the triple black diamond)

Slope-Intercept Form

a representation of a line in y = mx + b form, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept

Sloth

Laziness; inactivity; sluggishness

Sphere

a solid figure where all points are an equal distance from the center point; a ball

Square

A parallelogram with all angles equal to 90° and all sides equal. Read: glorified rectangle.

Square Pyramid

a pyramid with a square base; all sides on the bottom are the same and the top looks like a place in Egypt

Standard Form Of A Line

a representation of a line in Ax + By = C form, where A, B, and C are all integers and A is also positive

Statistics

the branch of math that deals with collecting and analyzing data; you can justify almost anything with the right stats

Straight Angle

180° angle; basically a straight line

Supplementary Angles

angles that add up to 180°; think a flat line when the angles are put together

Surface Area

the total area of all faces of a 3-dimensional object

Tangent

a line intersecting a circle at exactly one point

Term

each part of an expression separated by addition or subtraction

Tetrahedron

a pyramid with a triangular base

Theoretical Probability

the probability of an event determined by favorable outcomes ÷ possible outcomes; what math predicts, not necessarily what really happens

Three Dimensional Solid Objects

objects with width, length and height; not just flat, think Avatar

Transversal

a line that intersects two or more lines

Trapezoid

A four-sided, closed shape with straight lines and only one pair of opposite sides equal. The best of all shapes, because of how much fun it is to say "zoid."

Triangular Prism

a prism with triangle bases; only the bases are parallel

Triangular Pyramid (aka Tetrahedron)

a pyramid with triangular base; a tetrahedron made up of four equilateral triangles is called a regular tetrahedron

Trinomial

an algebraic expression with three terms

Two-dimensional

flat objects and shapes; think of a piece of paper; these objects only have two of the following: width, length, or height

Unit Rate

price per unit; written as a ratio (same as unit cost)

Vertex

the point where two rays meet; the corner of a polygon (plural is vertices)

Vertical Angles

when two lines intersect, opposite angles are called "vertical angles", these angles are congruent

Volume

the amount of space inside a 3-dimensional object.

X- Axis

the horizontal axis on a coordinate graph

Y- Axis

the vertical axis on a coordinate graph