Pathways to Math Literacy: Measurement, Algebra, Conversions, and Statistics

Vocabulary flashcards covering geometric measurement formulas, algebraic terms and simplification, financial mathematics, dimensional analysis, and basic statistics from Pathways to Math Literacy.

Area

The measure of size for two-dimensional objects, such as floors, walls, posters, and fields.

Volume

The measure of size for three-dimensional objects, such as beer mugs, swimming pools, buildings, and storage tanks.

Formula for the Volume of a Cylinder

$V = \pi r^2 h$, where $r$ is the radius of the top and bottom circular bases, and $h$ is the height.

Formula for the Volume of a Rectangular Solid

$V = lwh$, where $l$ is the length, $w$ is the width, and $h$ is the height.

Formula for the Area of a Rectangle

$A = lw$, where $l$ is the length and $w$ is the width.

Compound Interest Formula

$A = P(1+r)^t$, where $A$ is the new value, $P$ is the principal, $r$ is the interest rate in decimal form, and $t$ is the number of years.

Terms

Individual pieces in an algebraic expression that are added or subtracted.

Like Terms

Two or more terms in an algebraic expression whose variable parts are exactly the same, allowing them to be combined by addition or subtraction.

Equivalent Expressions

Expressions that produce the exact same output no matter what input value is chosen for the variable(s).

Simplifying an Expression

The process of replacing an algebraic expression with a simpler but equivalent one, such as combining like terms or dividing out common factors.

Formula for the Area of a Triangle

$A = \frac{1}{2}bh$, where $b$ represents the length of the triangle's base and $h$ represents the height.

Formula for the Perimeter of a Rectangle

$P = 2l + 2w$, where $l$ is the length and $w$ is the width.

Formula for the Area of a Parallelogram

$A = lh$, where $l$ is the base length and $h$ is the height.

Rate

A ratio that compares two quantities with different units of measurement.

Unit Rate

A rate that has a $1$ in the denominator, such as $\frac{75\,\text{mi}}{1\,\text{hr}}$.

Conversion Factor

A fraction formed from dividing two equivalent measurements in different units, which is equal to $1$ and does not change the actual quantity when multiplied.

Dimensional Analysis

A systematic procedure for converting units by multiplying a measurement by conversion factors arranged so that unwanted units cancel out and desired units remain.

Cubic Centimeter ($\text{cc}$ or $\text{cm}^3$)

A unit of volume equal to $1\,\text{mL}$; related to English units by the fact that $1\,\text{in.}^3 = (2.54)^3\,\text{cm}^3 \approx 16.4\,\text{cm}^3$.

Median

The middle value in a set of data when the data values are arranged in numerical order from smallest to largest.

Mode

The value or values that appear most frequently in a data set; a data set can have more than one mode if multiple values tie for the highest frequency.

Mean

A measure of average found by summing all values and dividing by the total count, which can be disproportionately pulled or skewed by extreme values.