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Exterior Angles The angle outside a polygon between one side and the
adjacent side produced. Formula (UK plural 'Formulae', U.S.A. plural 'Formulas')
A formula is an expression, normally involving quantities expressed by letters of the
alphabet, that shows how to calculate one quantity in terms of another.
Exterior angle
e.g. The formula for the area of a rectangle is A = L x W, where A is the area, L is
the length and W is the width of the rectangle.

n(n + 1)
e.g. the nth triangle number is
The total of all the exterior angles of any polygon is always 3600 2

Face (i) The front of an analogue clock, normally marked with the hours. Four Colour Problem The four colour problem is about colouring maps: If you
(ii) One of the surfaces of a polyhedron such as a cuboid, which has six faces. sat in a room and people gave you many maps, some simple and some very
complicated, which had 'countries' or regions to be shaded, what is the smallest
number of colours you would need to be able to colour all the maps, if no two
Factor A number that divides exactly into another number. countries with a common border are coloured with the same colour.

e.g. The factors of 32 are 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32. It was long thought that the number of colours needed was four, but this has only
recently been proved beyond doubt. It is possible to draw maps that need only two
Note that the number itself (32) is a factor. or three colours, but there will always be some maps that need four colours. No
map drawn on a piece of paper needs five colours.
Factorise To find the factors of a number. This can be a very difficult job if the
number is large and can take many hours (or even years) using the fastest
computers in the world. For example, how long would it take you to find the factors Fractal A fractal is an irregular shape produced by repeating the same
of 192 343 993 140 277 293 096 491 917 ? Good luck! geometrical process over and over again. The main characteristic of a fractal is that
it has the same amount of detail no matter how closely you look at it (in other words,
Answer: This number only has two factors (except 1 and itself, of course). no matter how big your magnifying glass is). This is not true of non-fractal shapes
They are 8 174 912 477 117 and 23 528 569 104 401. such as circles, which seem to become straighter and straighter as you look at them
with greater magnification.
Fibonacci Numbers or Sequence Numbers in the sequence:
1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55 ... This sequence is obtained by writing down Fraction A way of writing a number with one numeral above another. The upper
two 1's and then obtaining the next numbers by adding together the two numbers is called the numerator and the lower is called the denominator.
before it.
The denominator tells you how many pieces a whole one is divided into and the
e.g. 1 + 1 = 2, 1 + 2 = 3, 2 + 3 = 5, 3 + 5 = 8 etc. numerator tells you how many of those pieces you have.
3
Fibonacci first came across this sequence by investigating the number of rabbits in e.g.
a colony which bred according to certain rules and never died. 5 tells you that a whole has been cut into five equal pieces and you have
three of them.
Finite A quantity that does not go on for ever. This term is often used to refer to
sequences that do not go on for ever, such as: A fraction can also be thought of as a division sum (more important in higher levels
of mathematics),
1, 3, 5, ... 17 the sequence of odd number up to 17.
3
so is the same as 3 ÷ 5.
Sequences that do go on forever (infinite) are shown with three dots at the end of 5
the terms shown, like this:
Frequency The number of times something occurs.
1, 3, 5, 7, 9, ... the sequence of all odd numbers.

The term is also used to express the idea that the universe does not go on forever, e.g. The frequency with which my work telephone rings is greater than the frequency
i.e. the universe is finite. with which my home telephone rings.
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Frequency Chart (Table) A table showing how often something happens.

Grid A sequence of (normally) horizontal and vertical intersecting lines used to
e.g. Here is a frequency chart showing how many people came to school by different draw patterns or graphs.
means of transport.

Bicycle 24
Car 16
Train 10
Bus 3

Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic When you find all the prime factors of a Heptagon A polygon with seven sides.
number, you always obtain the same answer, no matter how you set about finding them.

e.g. The prime factors of 60 are 2, 3 and 5. No matter how you work this out, you will Hexagon A polygon with six sides.
always end up with these three numbers.

Highest Common Factor (H.C.F.) The highest number that will divide
Geometry A branch of mathematics related to shapes. In geometry, the sizes of exactly into two or more larger numbers.
angles and the lengths of the sides of shapes are very important. e.g. 6 is the highest common factor of 42, 54 and 66.

Girth The distance around objects that are normally approximately circular such as Horizontal Parallel to the horizon. Going from left to right.
trees.

Hundred Square A square divided into a hundred smaller squares (10 x 10).
Goldbach's Conjecture Every even number can be made up from the sum of two The numbers 1 to 100 are written in the squares.
prime numbers. (In this conjecture 1 is counted as a prime number, although this is not
normally the case.) This idea was first put forward by Christian Goldbach in a letter to 1
Euler in 1742. Although computers have shown this to be true for many, many numbers, Hundredth One whole divided into a hundred parts. Written 100 as
no-one has yet proved it true for all even numbers.
e.g. 4 = 2 + 2, 10 = 7 + 3, 76 = 17 + 59 a fraction or 0.01 as a decimal.

A hundredth is the same as 1%.

Gradient The slope of a line (normally a graph). It is found by drawing a right angled
triangle under the line and dividing the length of the vertical side by the length of the
horizontal side. Hypotenuse The longest side in a right angled triangle.
The side opposite to the right angle.

Icosahedron A three dimensional shape having twenty faces. In a regular

icosahedron each face is an equilateral triangle.
v
v Image The shape that is the result when a shape is transformed. For example, if a
Gradient =
h shape is reflected in a mirror line, the reflection is the image.
h

Improper Fraction A fraction whose numerator is greater than its denominator.

Graph A way of showing a relationship on a diagram. The most common types of 8
graph are block graphs, line graphs and pie charts. e.g.
5
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Infinite Going on forever, without end. There is no such number as infinity - the
Inscribed circle A circle drawn inside a polygon (normally a triangle) so that it just word infinity expresses the idea of going on for ever. For example, to say that there
touches each of the sides of the polygon. In a triangle the centre of this circle is are infinite number of points on a straight line means that however close two points
obtained by bisecting each angle and putting the compass point at the place where the are on the line, it is always possible to find another between them.
three bisectors meet.
An infinite sequence is a sequence that has an infinite number of terms.
If we wish to show this, we usually put three dots at the end of the written part of the
sequence:

2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, ...

Each angle is bisected
Integer A whole number. Integers may be positive, negative or zero.
These are all integers: –5, 0, 3, 62 435

Interest When money is put into a bank account or building society account, the
bank or building society add a certain amount to your money each year. This extra
is called 'interest'.
Increase To make something bigger. Sometimes increases are written as
percentages. Similarly, if you borrow money, the bank or building society (the lender) that lent you
e.g. Increase £40 by 20%. the money will expect you to pay back more than you borrowed. This extra is also
called 'interest'.

Identity Matrix There are two identity matrices that are two rows by two columns There are two types of interest: simple and compound.
in size. Simple interest is when the same amount is added on each year, making no
allowance for the interest that was added on in the previous year.
0 0
The identity matrix for addition is  .
0 0  Compound interest is when the amount added on each year increases to allow for
the fact that you have more in your account each year because of the interest
1 0
added on in the previous years.
The identity matrix for multiplication is   .
0 1 
PRT
The formula for simple interest is I =
100
Index (Plural 'indices') Another word for 'power', the number of times a
R
quantity is multiplied by itself. The formula for compound interest is I = P(1 + )T
100
e.g. 45 is read as 'four to the power of five' and means 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 × 4 = 1024. Where I is the amount of the interest.
In this case 5 is the index. P is the principal (the amount invested)
R is the rate of interest
If we have the same number raised to several different powers (or indices) the T is the time in years.
indices may be added when the quantities are multiplied.
e.g. What would the simple interest be if £3 000 were invested at 6% for 4 years?
e.g. 45 × 43 × 46 = 414 PRT 3000 × 6 × 4
I= = = £720
100 100
Inequality A statement showing that one quantity is greater than or less than
another. The symbols < (less than) and > (greater than) are used. Interior Angles The inside angle between two sides of a polygon. The size of an
interior angle in a regular polygon may be calculated from the formula
e.g. 7 > 3 × 2, y > 4x + 8, 7x – 9 < 4y + 3 360
Angle = 180 − where n is the number of sides.
n
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Intersection (  ) The intersection of two sets gives you the elements that are in Isosceles Trapezium A trapezium in which the two non-parallel sides are the
the fist set and also in the second set. same length. It therefore has two pairs of equal angles.

e.g. A = {3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21) B= {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14}

The intersection of sets A and B is written as A  B

A  B = {6, 12}
Isosceles Triangle A triangle in which two sides are the same length. It also has
See also union. the two base angles the same value.

A B The shaded area

represents A  B Kilogram One thousand grams. The mass of a litre of pure water at 40C. This
temperature is chosen because it is the temperature at which a certain mass of
water has the minimum volume.

Volume

Inverse Matrix The inverse of a matrix is the matrix which, when multiplied by
the original matrix, gives the identity matrix.

e.g. With 2 x 2 matrices: 40C Temperature

5 6 1  4 − 6
Original matrix is   . The inverse of this matrix is 5 × 4 − 6 × 3   5
 3 4  − 3 5  Kilometre 1 000 metres. This is about of a mile.
8
1  4 − 6  1  4 − 6   5 6  1 0 
=   because     =  0 1 
2 − 3 5  2 − 3 5  3 4    Kite A quadrilateral which has two pairs of sides with equal length. The sides in
each pair are adjacent.

Irrational Number A number that cannot be written as a fraction (see also

rational numbers).

e.g. 2 = 1.414213562373095048801688724209698078...

This is an infinite decimal that does not recur. Therefore it cannot be written as a
fraction and is irrational.

Leap Year A year having 366 days, instead of the normal 365.
Irregular Shape (i) A polygon in which not all the sides are the same length and
the angles the same value.
A year is a leap year if it is divisible by 4, except if it is divisible by 100.
A year that is divisible by 100 is only a leap year if it is divisible by 400.
(ii) A polyhedron in which not all the faces are regular polygons.
So these years are leap years: 1200, 1600, 2000, 2400 etc
These years are not leap years: 1300, 1400, 1500, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2100, etc.
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Lecnac Used to increase the numerator and denominator in a fraction. Equivalent Locus The path of a point that moves according to certain rules.
fractions may be obtained by cancelling or lecnacing. Lecnacing means multiplying e.g. The locus of a point that is always 3cm from a fixed point is a circle of radius
both the numerator and denominator by the same number. 3cm.
3
e.g. Lecnac by 6 . e.g. The locus of a point that moves so that it is inside a rectangle 10cm x 8cm
4
18 and is never closer to the sides than 2cm is the shaded area in the diagram.
Multiply the numerator and denominator by 6 to obtain .
24
3 18 10cm
The fractions and are equivalent.
4 24

Level Flat and horizontal. A ball would not be able to run downhill on a perfectly
level surface. 8cm

Line Graph A graph in which the plotted points are joined with a continuous line
which may be straight or curved. The spaces between the plotted points should
normally have a meaning.

Graphs of how quantities such as temperature change over time and graphs drawn Logo A computer programming language that allows you to move a turtle
from equations such as y = 3x + 5 are normally drawn as line graphs. according to certain rules. It is possible to begin gently with simple commands such
as FORWARD 20 and progress to much more complicated structures involving
subroutines and variables.
0
C
24 Lowest Common Multiple The lowest common multiple of two or more
numbers is the lowest multiple that is the same for both (or all) of the numbers.
22
e.g. Find the lowest common multiple of 5, 6 and 15.
20
The multiples of 5 are: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65...
18
The multiples of 6 are: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, 54, 60, 66, 72 ...
16 The multiples of 15 are: 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90, 105, 120 ...

14 The common multiples of 5, 6 and 15 are therefore: 30, 60, 90 ...

The lowest common multiple of 5, 6 and 15 is therefore 30.

12

6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Time a.m.
Lowest terms A fraction is in its lowest terms if it cannot be cancelled any more.

e.g. Graph of how the temperature varied in a room between 6.00 a.m. and 12.00 1 2 17
e.g.
a.m. 3 5 33

Mandelbrot Set A set of points in a given area on an Argand Diagram that are
Line of Symmetry Another name for Axis of Symmetry. coloured according to a fixed rule. The mathematics behind the Mandelbrot is quite
complicated, but the results of the calculations produce very beautiful fractals.
Follow the link from the MathSphere Home Page (under 'Other Related Internet
Litre 1 000 cm3. See also volume. Sites') to the Mandelbrot Internet site to see some of these images.