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The Golf of Mexico - Math Vocabulary

Field Agents will use vocabulary words in almost all of their advice. To see a definition, students simply need to click an underlined word.

Area
The number of square units needed to cover a surface or figure.

Calculus
A branch of mathematics that looks at rates of change, such as a planet's orbit, and areas of irregularly shaped objects, such as the total area of a fried egg.

Constant
In equations, a quantity that does not change its value. Numbers such as 1, 2, 3, etc. are constants.

Data
A collection of information that has been gathered to look at.

Equation
A number sentence that uses an equal sign to show that two mathematical expressions are equal.

Formula
An equation that states a rule or a fact about a relationship.

Graph
A drawing or diagram that shows information.

Grid
A pattern of equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines.

Guess and check
A problem-solving strategy where you guess an answer and check to see if it's correct. You repeat the process until you find the correct answer. Also called "guess and test."

Horizontal
Parallel with the horizon (the line at which the Earth and the sky appear to meet).

Length
The distance from one end to the other.

Number sentence
A statement that shows equality or inequality using numbers, signs, and symbols.

Rectangle
A parallelogram (a four-sided figure with parallel opposite sides) with four right angles.

Repeated addition
The process of adding one number many times.

Sample
A set selected from a population to study and analyze.

Scale
A ratio between the size of an object or the distance in a drawing or model to its actual size or distance.

Square
A special kind of rectangle with all sides the same length.

Square mile
A unit used to measure area; a square whose sides are all a mile long.

Tessellation
A pattern of repeated shapes that completely cover a plane with no gaps or overlapping.

Triangle
A polygon (many-sided figure) that has three sides and three angles.

Variable
In equations, a symbol or letter that is used to stand in for one or more numbers.

Vertical
Forming a right angle (perpendicular) with the horizon (the line at which the Earth and the sky appear to meet).

Width
The distance from one side to the other.

X-Axis
The horizontal (left-to-right) axis (central point) of a coordinate plane.

Y-Axis
The vertical (up-and-down) axis (central point) of a coordinate plane.

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