Maths Vocab

This is a list of some maths terms with their definition and an example.  (More will be added soon)

TermDefinitionExample
Acute AngleAn angle that measures less than 90o.

 

AreaThe amount of space taken up by a 2D shape or surface.  Area is measured in square units for example cm2 or m2.

 

ArrayA pictorial representation (rows or dots) to help children to understand multiplication and division.

 

 

BIDMAS or BODMAS

 

The order to complete mathematical calculations.

 

 

Circumference

 

The measurement all the way around the outside edge of a circle.

 

CoordinatesNumbers that give you a position on a grid marked by how far along they are on the x axis and how far up or down they are on the y axis.  Always write the x axis value first.

 

DenominatorThe bottom number of a fraction that tells you how many parts a shape or amount has been divided equally into.

 

DiameterThe length of a straight line through the centre of a circle from one point on the circumference to another point.

 

DivisorThe number you are dividing by.

 

 

Equilateral Triangle

 

A triangle where all sides are the same length and all angles are the same size.

 

ExchangingConverting from one place value to another - a term used instead of "carrying" in addition and "borrowing" in subtraction.

 

FactorA whole number which will divide exactly into another number.

 

Highest Common Factor (HCF)The highest number that two or more whole numbers is divisible by.  It could be easier if you listed all the factors of each number.

 

Index (Plural: Indices)Also know as "power", the index shows how many times the number is used in a multiplication.

 

Isosceles TriangleTriangles that have 2 sides of equal length and 2 angles of equal size.

 

Lowest Common Multiple (LCM)The lowest number that is a multiple of two or more numbers.

 

MeanAn average measure that is calculated by adding all the values in a data set together and dividing it by the number of values there are.

 

MedianAn average measure that shows the middle value when a group of numbers is arranged in order of size.

 

ModeAn average measure that shows the value which appears most frequently in a set of data.

 

MultipleA number that can be divided by a whole number without remainders.

 

Number BondsPairs of numbers that add up to made a certain number.

 

NumeratorThe number on the top of a fraction that tells you how many parts you have.
Obtuse AngleAn angle that measures more than 90o but less than 180o.

 

PartitioningExpanding or breaking down a number into the individual values of each digit - this helps with understanding place value.

 

 

Perimeter

 

The distance measured around the outside of a 2D shape.

 

 

Place Value

 

The value of a digit within a number.

 

Prime NumberNumbers that only have two factors which are 1 and the number itself.

 

RadiusThe measurement of a straight line from the centre of a circle to any point on the circumference of a circle.

 

RangeAn average measure that shows the difference between the highest and the lowest value in a data set.

 

RatioA comparison between the amounts of different things.

 

Reflex AngleAn angle that measures more than 180o but less than 360o.

 

 

Right Angle

 

An angle that measures exactly 90o.

 

Scalene TriangleA triangle where all the sides are of different lengths and all the angles are different values but one of the angles measures more than 90o.

 

Square NumberThe value when a number is multiplied by itself.

 

x axis

 

The horizontal axis on a graph or grid.

Remember: "X is a-cross".

 

y axisThe vertical axis on a graph or grid.

 

 

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