Can You Ace This Math Vocabulary Quiz?

By: Jenna M.
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Ace This Math Vocabulary Quiz?
Image: gremlin/E+/Getty Images

About This Quiz

One of the benefits of majoring in math is the lack of reading and writing papers, right? WRONG! Math has its own language and it is important to be fluent in it if you plan to ace every test! Knowing your math vocabulary is half the battle when deciding what formula to use to get the correct answer. What's even more important to note is that everyday words can have a completely different meaning when they are connected to math. This is a major reason to refresh your math vocabulary! 

Now, taking a course in math vocabulary may not be as creative or elegant as a course in creative writing or persuasive speech, but it is nonetheless important for a mathematician! From algebra to combinatorics, math vocabulary can get pretty extensive. Even the most strait-laced students can get a little fuzzy when recalling words they do not see or use every day. This is why studying your math vocabulary can have its benefits! Put yourself to the test and refresh your math vocabulary. You might be surprised at what you get, you could be the next Carl Gauss (one of the greatest mathematicians in history)! Or a mathematician vocabulary connoisseur in the making. 

What are numbers without a fractional part called?
Integers
Domain numbers
Prime numbers
Mode
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Integers are numbers without fractions, which is why they are known as whole numbers. Pi, for example, is not an integer, because it is 3.14 and not 3 or 4. Most people just call integers numbers, which includes negative numbers.

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What is an arithmetic mean?
An arithmetic mean is the midpoint of a set of numerical values after they been numerically sorted.
An arithmetic mean is the "average" of a set of numerical values.
An arithimetic mean is any integer that can be divided into without a remainder.
An arithmetic mean is the value of a range of values.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An arithmetic mean is the "average" of a set of numerical values. We typically learn this as "average" instead of "mean" in elementary school, adding up all the numbers in a set and dividing by the set of numbers to determine the average.

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What is the term used to describe a set of instructions used to solve a problem?
Algorithm
Equation
Instructions
Rational
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Although the word "algorithm" can be used to describe the process of solving math equations or any other set of instructions, we often hear it now with regard to advertising on our social media. Have you seen people complain about the "Facebook algorithm" when they see unwanted ads? That's because Facebook is looking at all your interactions and demographics and making decisions about what to show you.

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What is the term used to describe the vertex at the tip of a cone or pyramid?
Range
Arcsin
Angle
Apex
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The pyramid is a three-dimensional shape. A triangle is its two-dimensional analogue, similar to how a sphere is the three-dimensional version of a circle and a cube is that of a square.

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What is the term used to describe something exactly equal in size and shape?
Congruent
Perpendicular
Slope
Associative property
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Congruent means exactly the same or identical. In geometry, congruent figures are identical, although you may see some tricky iterations like mirror images, making congruent figures *seem* incongruent.

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What word is use to describe the distance around the outside of a circle?
Circular arc
Perimeter
Area
Circumference
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In order to determine circumference, you would use the formula 2πr. That means that if you multiply the radius of the circle by 2 and by the number pi, you'll know how far around it is.

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What is the term used in reference to the equation relating the sines of the interior angles of a triangle and the corresponding opposite sides?
Law of Cosines
Cosecant
Law of Sines
Measure of an Angle
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Law of Sines is a trigonometric term that describes how angles relate to the opposite sides of a triangle. Committing these laws to memory will help you if you're studying precalc or calculus! It is described as follows: a/sin A = b/sin B = c/sin C

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Half the difference between the minimum and maximum values of the range is called what?
Vertex
Chord
Scalene Triangle
Amplitude
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Amplitude can be a confusing term, because we often think of "amp" as related to making things louder, or amplify. In fact, amplitude simply describes how far a wave ranges in distance from zero.

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What do you call the horizontal line drawn as part of a fraction or radical?
Vinculum
Radicand
Upsilon
Transversal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Here's a word you probably never thought you'd need to know! Vinculum is just a line, but it's a very particular sort of line: one that indicates that an operation beneath it needs to be done altogether or that the items below it are a unit.

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What are ordinal numbers?
Numbers that are used to describe the denoting quantity
Numerical words that indicate order, such as first, second, third and fourth
Numbers describing the elements in a set
Elements in either finite or infinite sets
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ordinal numbers go ... you guessed it ... in order! Cardinal numbers are just positive integers, beginning with zero. Of course, math has many words to describe the same idea ... or maybe that's an English problem!

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What term describes the center of a triangle?
Cusp
Concave
Median
Centroid
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Every triangle has three "medians" that are straight lines from the vertex, or meeting point of two lines, to the midpoint of the opposite side. Where all three medians intersect is the centroid.

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What term describes a ring-shaped object bounded by two concentric circles?
Arccosine
Annulus
Cotangent
Inverse function
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An annulus is just the math term for a ring. If you subtract the area of the open space from the area of the entire circle, you can figure out the area of the ring itself. Seems scary, but t's actually pretty approachable!

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What is the mathematical meaning of "solid"?
The total area of the exterior surface of a shape
The term used to describe the of surfaces and solids in space
It is the term for all bounded three-dimensional geometric figures.
A geometric figure in three dimensions excluding interior points
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The word "solid" in geometry is just another way to say three-dimensional, like a cube or rectangular prism. Don't worry, that doesn't mean that two-dimensional shapes are liquids, gases or vapors.

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What term is described as a "three-dimensional figure with a single base tapering to an apex"?
Cone
Triangle
Pyramid
Cylinder
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Think about an ice cream cone: unlike other geometric figures, it tapers to an end that you need to get to before the ice cream makes it soggy. We'd have a major mess if we were served ice cream in edible cylinders instead!

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This term describes something being limitless or endless in space.
Infinity
Never-ending
Unbounded
Pythagorean Theorem
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If you really think about it, Buzz Lightyear's "To infinity ... and beyond" is impossible, because infinity is our definition for the most beyond — infinity is as far as it goes.

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Which term describes a curve similar to the sine function?
Sinusoid
Amplitude
Harmonic Addition Theorem
Fourier Series
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A sinusoid is defined as a curve similar to the sine function, but shifted either in phase, amplitude, period or some combination of these. We're just glad it's not related to stuffy noses and headaches.

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What is used to measure angles?
Radii
Range
Radian
Circular arc
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A radian is a seriously intense concept. You know what a radius is, right? Imaging lying the length of the radius along the circumference of the circle. The angle those two lines create is called the "radian." 3.4 radians = 180 degrees, which is a half-circle. Is your mind blown yet?

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Select the term that defines a number that has to be multiplied times itself three times to equal a given number.
Rational exponents
Cube root
Domain
Square root
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The cube root of 8 is 2. How do you get that? Divide 8 by 2: 4. Then divide it by 2 again: 2! Cubes are created when we multiply a number by itself and then by itself again: 2 x 2 x 2 = 8, so 2 cubed = 8, and the cube root is the opposite operation, making the cube root of 8 = 2.

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Which term defines the number that is used to multiply a variable or powers of variables in an algebraic expression?
Coefficient
Combinatorics
Polynomial
Axes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A coefficient is defined as the number multiplied by a variable in an algebraic expression. An example of this would be the 2 in the equation 2x + 5 =11. In this equation, x = 3, so 2 x 3 = 6, and 6 + 5 = 11.

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What is the term used to describe how far a number is from zero?
Collinear
Absolute value
Diameter
Coplanar
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Absolute value describes how far any number is from zero, whether that number is positive or negative. So absolute value is always a positive value, although — surprise! — it can also equal zero.

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The bottom part of a fraction is called what?
Denominator
Nominator
Ellipse
Dividend
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The denominator is what is being divided. In the equation 56 / 8 = 7, the divisor is 8, which means that you have 56 of something and you're splitting it into groups of 8. You end up with 7 groups of 8 (or 8 groups of 7, if 7 is the divisor).

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What term describes a line with zero slope?
Polynomial
Hypotenuse
Vertical
Horizontal
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A horizontal line runs from left to right without going up or down, so it has zero slope. You probably don't want your life to have zero slope, because nothing would ever change!

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A number that cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers is called what?
Inverse
Irrational number
Inequality
Asymptotes
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A real number that can't be made by dividing two integers is known as an irrational number. Have you heard of the number e. That's one. So is pi! On the other hand, 1/3, which is a never-ending decimal, is a rational number because it can be expressed with a fraction.

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What is a hexagon?
A hexagon is a six-sided 2-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a six-sided 3-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a eight-sided 2-dimensional shape.
A hexagon is a three-sided 2-dimensional shape.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A hexagon is a six-sided polygon. Examples of hexagons are all around us and include honeycomb, stop signs, and even fly eyes! Other polygons are as simple as squares and as complicated as the chiliagon, which has 1,000 sides!

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What is an Isosceles triangle?
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with two unequal sides.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with one 90-degree angle.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with three unequal sides.
An Isosceles triangle is a triangle with two equal sides.
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In an isosceles triangle, the angles opposite the equal sides are also equal. Other types of triangles are equilateral, which has three equal sides, and scalene, which has no equal sides at all.

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What is the definition of proportion?
Two angles that share both a side and a vertex
A statement of equality between two ratios
The number of square units that covers a shape or figure
A multiple of two or more numbers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

If someone paints your portrait, you might want them to create a proportional piece of art: in other words, not a caricature where your head is much larger than any other body part.

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Which of the following answers defines "square root"?
Any number which, when multiplied by itself, equals the number
The set of all rational and irrational numbers
A value that does not change
The set of all numbers that can be written as the ratio of two integers with a non-zero denominator
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Just like a cube is a number multiplied by itself two times, a square is a number multiplied by itself one time. So 2 squared is 4, and therefore the inverse, or square root, of 4 = 2. What's the square root of 16? How about 144?

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Which term defines "Graphical representation of the relationship between two numerical sets of data"?
Line graph
Pie charts
Scatterplot
Histogram
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A scatterplot takes a set of data and plots each point on a plane without drawing any lines between them. Therefore the viewer can see each element and draw their own conclusions about relationships between the data points.

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The distance across a circle is called what?
Circumference
Chord
Diameter
Degree
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The diameter measures the distance from one side of a circle to the other. The diameter is double the radius. Fun fact: Pi is equal to a circle's circumference divided by its diameter, although, spoiler, the result will always be 3.14!

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What does PEMDAS mean?
Line that divides a geometric figure into two congruent portions
A straight set of points that extends into infinity in both directions
The study of sound reasoning
Order of operations acronym
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

PEMDAS might be something you learned as a kid. It helps you remember the order of operations and when to do what: Start with parentheses, then exponents, multiplication and division, and finally addition and subtraction.

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Which term defines the study of sound reasoning?
Logic
Mode
Median
Perpendicular
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Logic looks for consistency and validity in its results. If you've seen geometric proofs, they're using mathematical logic to offer evidence and reasoning. It's another way of "showing your work."

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What is the definition of an acute angle?
An angle with a measure less than 45°
An angle with a measure less than 90°
An angle with a measure more than 90°
An angle with a measure that equals to 90°
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An acute angle is less than 90°. All triangles have a total of 180° in their three angles. A triangle may have three 60° angles, making it equilateral, or it may have angles of different sizes.

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What is the definition of arc?
Part of a circle’s curve between two points along its circumference
The measure, in square units, of the inside of a plane figure
An arrangement of objects in equal rows
A characteristic of an object
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

An arc is any portion besides the entire curve of the circumference of a circle. A chord is a line inside the circle whose endpoints touch the circle, making the diameter the longest chord in any circle.

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Which term describes a model that uses bars to represent quantities, known or unknown, and the relationship between them.
Bar model
modal model
Line graph
Formula
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A bar model offers a visual representation to show the relationship between quantities. For example, you might see bars of different sizes with numbers in them to help teach algebra. If you saw a large bar that said 16 and a smaller bar that said 3x, you would surmise that x is less than 6. If you saw equal bars that said 18 and 3x, you would surmise that x = 6.

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What term is defined as a single object, the lowest counting number?
Beta
One
Sum
Range
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

One may be the loneliest number, but we learn all about "one" early. It's the first number most of us learn, and the first math concept we learn, often before we can even string words together!

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You Got:
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