Term | Definition | Example | |||
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Commutativity | States that changing the order of the operands doesn't change the result. | ||||
Associativity | States that the way the parentheses are placed doesn't change the result of the operation. | ||||
Distributive Law | States that multiplication distributes over addition, and addition distributes over multiplication. | ||||
Whole Numbers | The set of positive, non-fractional numbers including zero. | ||||
Integers | A set of numbers that includes whole numbers as well as their negatives. | ||||
Rational Numbers | Numbers that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers, where the denominator is not zero. | ||||
Irrational Numbers | Numbers that cannot be expressed as a fraction of two integers, meaning they cannot be represented as terminating or repeating decimals. | ||||
PEMDAS | An acronym that stands for Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, and Subtraction. It describes the order of operations in an algebraic expression. Division and multiplication have the same priority and are evaluated from left to right. | ||||
Absolute Value | The distance of a number from zero. The absolute value of a number |
Term | Definition | Example | |||
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Exponent | Represents the number of times a base is multiplied by itself. It is usually written as a small number raised to the right and above the base number. | ||||
Rational Exponent | A rational exponent is an exponent expressed as a fraction. It indicates the root of a number and the power to which it is raised simultaneously. For example, | ||||
Scientific Notation | A way of expressing numbers that are very large or very small using powers of 10. It is written in the form | ||||
Product of Exponents | When multiplying two numbers with the same base but different exponents, one can add the exponents together. | ||||
Quotient of Exponents | When dividing two numbers with the same base but different exponents, one can subtract the exponent of the divisor from the exponent of the dividend. | ||||
Power Rule | States that when you raise a power to another power, you multiply the exponents together. | ||||
Zero Exponent Rule | Any non-zero number raised to the power of zero is equal to 1. | ||||
Negative Exponent Rule | Indicates the reciprocal of the base raised to the positive exponent. For example, |
Term | Formula | ||
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Square Root | Given a number | ||
Cube Root | Given a number | ||
Nth Root | Given a number | ||
Simplifying Radicals | Involves identifying perfect powers of the root in the radicand, evaluating them, and leaving non-perfect powers under the radicand. | ||
Multiplying Radicals | When multiplying radicals, multiply the numbers or variables outside the radical together and multiply the numbers or variables inside the radical together. | ||
Dividing Radicals | When dividing radicals, divide the numbers or variables outside the radical together and divide the numbers or variables inside the radical together. | ||
Rationalizing Denominators | The process of removing radicals from the denominator of a fraction to make it a rational number. | ||
Radicand | The expression or number underneath the radical symbol ( |
Term | Definition | Example | |||
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Variable | A symbol that represents a quantity that can change or vary in value. | ||||
Expression | A mathematical phrase that can contain numbers, variables, and operation symbols. | ||||
Equation | A mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions. It contains an equal sign. | ||||
Polynomial | An algebraic expression consisting of one or more terms, where each term consists of a constant multiplied by one or more variables raised to non-negative integer powers. | ||||
Degree | The largest exponent in a polynomial. | ||||
Quadratic Equation | A polynomial equation of the second degree, meaning it contains at least one term that is squared. The general form of a quadratic equation is | ||||
Quadratic Formula | A formula used to solve quadratic equations, given by | ||||
Solving by Quadratic Formula | A method of solving quadratic equations in the form | ||||
Solving by Completing the Square | A method that involves transforming a quadratic equation into a perfect square trinomial and then solving for the variable. It's an alternative method for solving quadratic equations when factoring or using the quadratic formula may not be convenient. | ||||
Solving by Factoring | A method to solve equation that involves factoring the expression or equation and setting each factor equal to zero to find the solutions. | ||||
Absolute Value Equation | An equation that involves the absolute value of a variable. Usually, these equations either have no solution or both a positive and negative solution. | ||||
Rational Exponent Equation | An equation involving a rational exponent. Solving such equations often involves manipulating the equation to isolate the variable and then raising both sides of the equation to appropriate powers to cancel out the exponents. | ||||
No Solution | Means that an equation has no solution. | ||||
Infinitely Many Solutions | Means that an equation is true for all possible values of a variable. | ||||
One Solution | Means that there's one specific value for the variable that satisfies the equation. |
Term | Definition | Examples | |||
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Common Factor | A factor that divides a group of numbers evenly, without leaving a remainder. |
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Greatest Common Factor | The largest factor that divides a group of numbers evenly. | ||||
Difference of Squares | When subtracting a perfect square from another perfect square, the expression can be factored into the product of two binomials. | ||||
Difference of Cubes | When two perfect cubes are subtracted, the expression can be factored into the product of a binomial and a trinomial. | ||||
Sum of Cubes | When two perfect cubes are added, the expression can be factored into the product of a binomial and a trinomial. | ||||
Trinomial With Leading Coefficient 1 | A method of factoring a trinomial in the form |
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Factor By Grouping | A technique used to factorize polynomial expressions with four or more terms that involves grouping terms together in pairs and factoring out common factors from each pair. | Factor
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Term | Definition | Formula | |||
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System of Equations | A collection of two or more equations involving the same set of variables. Its solution is the set of values for the variables that satisfies all the equations simultaneously. | ||||
Solving by Substitution | Used to find the solution to a system of equations by solving one equation for one variable and then substituting that expression into other equations. | Solve To solve this system by substitution, we can solve one equation for one variable and then substitute that expression into the other equation. Let's solve the second equation for Now we can substitute Expanding and simplifying: Now that we have the value of So, the solution to the system is
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Solving by Elimination | Used to find the solution to a system of equations by adding or subtracting the equations in order to eliminate one of the variables | Solve To solve this system by elimination, we can multiply one or both equations by appropriate constants to make the coefficients of one of the variables the same (but with opposite signs). Let's eliminate Now, we can add the equations: Now that we have the value of So, the solution to the system is
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Solving by Graphing | Used to find the solution to a system of equations by graphing each equation on the same coordinate plane and identifying the point(s) of intersection, which represent the solution(s) to the system. | ||||
Systems with No Solution | A system of equations has no solution when the equations are inconsistent and do not intersect, resulting in parallel lines on the graph. | ||||
Systems with Infinitely Many Solutions | A system of equations has infinitely many solutions when the equations are dependent. |
Term | Definition | Example | |||
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Inequality | A mathematical statement that compares the relative size or value of two expressions. | ||||
Absolute Value Inequality | An inequality involving absolute values. | ||||
Compound Inequalities | Inequalities that involve two or more inequality statements connected by the words "and" or "or". They represent a combination of multiple inequality conditions. | ||||
Multiplying/Dividing by Negative Numbers | When multiplying or dividing both sides of an inequality by a negative number, the direction of the inequality sign must be reversed. | ||||
Adding/Subtracting Property | States that if the same quantity is added to or subtracted from both sides of an inequality, the inequality remains true. | ||||
Multiplying/Dividing Property | States that if both sides of an inequality are multiplied or divided by the same positive number, the inequality remains true. |
Term | Definition | ||
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Function | A relation between a set of inputs (domain) and a set of possible outputs (range), where each input is related to exactly one output. It is often denoted as | ||
Domain | The set of all possible input values (x-values) for which the function is defined. | ||
Range | The set of all possible output values (y-values) that the function can produce. | ||
Function Inverse | A function that "undoes" the effect of another function. The inverse of a function | ||
Composite Function | A function that results from composing (or chaining together) two or more functions. For example, if | ||
Even Function | A function that is symmetric with respect to the y-axis. Mathematically, | ||
Odd Function | A function that is symmetric with respect to the origin. Mathematically, | ||
Vertical Line Test | A method used to determine if a relation is a function. If any vertical line intersects the graph of the relation at more than one point, then the relation is not a function. |
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