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Mathematics Glossary
- Middle Years
Maxine Stinka, Saskatchewan Education,
Curriculum and Instruction
Note: The
definitions included here are those that are used in the Saskatchewan
Education document "Mathematics 6-9: A Curriculum Guide for the
Middle Level".
Various mathematics dictionaries
may have different definitions. These definitions are designed
to be meaningful to middle level mathematics teachers.
Select the first letter of
the term that you wish to look for.
A | B
| C | D
| E | F
| H | I
| J | K
| L | M
| N | O
| P | Q
| R | S
| T | U
| V | W
| X | Y
| Z
S
sample
- refers to a representative portion of the
population from which
information is gathered. Often, the information is used to draw
conclusions about the behavior of the population. e.g. To determine
the favourite activity of students in your school, you could collect
the information from some of the students (a sample). The sample
should be random and representative of the group.
scale factor
- the ratio
of a distance measured on a scale drawing to the corresponding
distance measured on the actual object.
scalene triangle
- a triangle with all sides of different lengths.
scatterplot
scientific notation
- writing a number as the product of a number
between 1 and 10 and the appropriate power of ten. e.g. 118 000
= 1.18 X 105.
secant of circle
- a line that intersects a circle in two points.
secondary data
- data
obtained indirectly from sources such as a book or computer database.
similar polygons
- polygons
that have the same shape but not necessarily the same size.
simple interest
simplest form (lowest terms)
- a fraction
is in simplest form if both its numerator and denominator are
whole numbers and their only common factor is 1.
simplified fraction
spreadsheet
- a computer generated arrangement of data
in rows and columns.
square root
- a number that when squared gives the value
of the original number. e.g. The square root of 25 = 5 because
52 = 25.
straight angle
- an angle whose measure is 180o.
stem-and-leaf plot
- in statistics, a way of recording, organizing
and displaying numerical data so that the original data
remains intact. e.g.
In this plot, the last row represents the numbers
90, 92 and 95.
supplementary angles
- two angles whose measures total 180o.
surface area
- the sum of the areas of all the faces,
including the bases, of a 3-D object.
Questions or comments about the glossary can
be directed to TheCentralizer@MathCentral.uregina.ca
or see About Us
page for more information.
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