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Media4Math has a visual math dictionary of key terms and definitions of hundreds of math terms. This collection of resources includes images that you can easily incorporate into your lesson plans. Scroll down to see an alphabetical listing of all the terms.
May 2, 2024 · Use this glossary of over 150 math definitions for common and important terms frequently encountered in arithmetic, geometry, and statistics.
- Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
- Definitions in Math and in Other Subjects
- Properties of A Math Definition
- Examples of Definitions
- How Definitions Are Worded
- Properties ofMathematical Definitions
- No Standardization
- Imagesand Metaphors For Definitions
- Specifications
- References
"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean--neither more nor less." -- Humpty Dumpty A mathematical definition is fundamentally different in two ways from other kinds of definitions, a fact that is not widely appreciated by students or even by mathematicians. The differences cause students much trouble.
The four rules below are absolute requirementsthat all mathematical definitions obey: 1. LP: The definition consists of a list of some of the propertiesof the concept (and nothing else). 2. EAP: Any example of the concept must have all the propertieslisted in the definition (not just most of them). 3. OAP: Every math object that has all the propert...
A mathematical definition prescribes the meaning of aword or phrase in a very specific way. The word or phrase is defined in terms of a list of required properties (LP), although the list may bedisguised by the wording. In this website, the word or phrase being defined iscalled the definiendum. The phrase thatgives the definition is called the defi...
There are many different ways to word a definition, and thislong section describes a great many of them. You may think that only agrammarian or a dictionary editor would appreciate such infinite attention todetail, but I recommend that you glance through the possibilitieslisted. You may discover 1. Some wordings that you may not recognize as defini...
Every proof originates solely in the definition
The special logical status of a definition (every true statement about the concept follows from the definition) is the reason that rewritingaccording to the definitions is a reasonable first step in comingup with a proof. Here are some seemingly contradictory points about the purple proseabove:
Thereare some very basic words with two common inequivalent definitions, and math texts don't always tell you which definition they are using.Examples:Thereare many, many words and phrases that have one definition that most texts use, but for which some texts give other definitions. For example, "positive" means "greater than zero" in almost all...Certain words and symbols have more than one meaning, and sometimes both those meanings are used in the same document.Certainwords and phrases have a standard meaning in one branch of mathematics and adifferentstandard meaning in another branch.Images and metaphors associatedwith the concept of definition, and the motivation behind theconcept, contribute greatly to understanding definitions, but images and metaphorscannot (directly) be used in proofs.
Because the definition of a math concept can be devious, it may be hard to see how you can use it in aproof. A specification of a mathematical concept is a set of statementsthat are all true of the concept and that suffice for many common uses, butwhich do not characterizethe concept. These are the mainpoints about specifications: 1. Everything the...
Lara Alcock and Adrian Simpson, Ideas from mathematics education, chapter 1.Bills, L., & Tall, D. (1998). Operable definitions in advanced mathematics: The case of the least upper bound. In A. Olivier & K. Newstead (Eds.), Proceedings of the 22nd Conference of the Internat...B. S. Edwards, and M. B. Ward, Surprises from mathematics education research: Student (mis) use of mathematical definitions (2004). American Mathematical Monthly, 111, 411-424.B. S. Edwards and M. B. Ward,The Role of Mathematical Definitions in Mathematics and inUndergraduate Mathematics Courses.The mean in math and statistics summarizes an entire dataset with a single number representing the data’s center point or typical value. It is also known as the arithmetic mean, and it is the most common measure of central tendency. It is frequently called the “average.”
Oct 9, 2020 · The mean (aka the arithmetic mean, different from the geometric mean) of a dataset is the sum of all values divided by the total number of values. It’s the most commonly used measure of central tendency and is often referred to as the “average.”
- You can find the mean , or average, of a data set in two simple steps: Find the sum of the values by adding them all up. Divide the sum by the numb...
- The arithmetic mean is the most commonly used mean. It’s often simply called the mean or the average. But there are some other types of means you c...
- Measures of central tendency help you find the middle, or the average, of a data set. The 3 most common measures of central tendency are the mean,...
- The mean is the most frequently used measure of central tendency because it uses all values in the data set to give you an average. For data from s...
Mean, median, and mode, are statistical measures that are often taught together. They are relatively simple to compute and use fairly intuitively, but understanding when it is most appropriate to use which measure for a given set of data can be more complex.
Explore a comprehensive math glossary containing common mathematical symbols and terms with their LaTeX representations and brief explanations. An essential reference for students, teachers, and professionals to quickly understand and use mathematical concepts and notation.
