Algebra Words
Question: What is a variable?
A letter or symbol that represents a number.
Example: In x + 5, x is the variable.
Question: What is an expression?
Answer: A mathematical phrase containing numbers, letters and operations, but no equals sign.
Example: 3x + 5
Question: In 5x + 3, what is the variable?
Answer: x
Example: 5x + 3 → x is the variable.
Question: What operation does sum mean?
Answer: Addition.
Example: The sum of 5 and 3 is 5 + 3 = 8.
Question: What is an even number?
Answer: A whole number that can be divided exactly by 2.
Example: 8 ÷ 2 = 4, so 8 is even.
Question: What is a coefficient?
Answer: The number multiplying a variable.
Example: In 7x, 7 is the coefficient.
Question: What is an equation?
Answer: A mathematical statement containing an equals sign.
Example: 3x + 5 = 20
Question: In 7y + 4, what is the coefficient of y?
Answer: 7
Example: 7 × y → 7 is multiplying y.
Question: What operation does difference mean?
Answer: Subtraction.
Example: The difference between 10 and 4 is 10 − 4 = 6.
Question: What is a factor?
Answer: A number that divides exactly into another number.
Example: 3 is a factor of 12 because 12 ÷ 3 = 4.
Question: What is a constant?
Answer: A number on its own that does not change.
Example: In 3x + 8, 8 is the constant.
Question: What is a term?
Answer: A part of an expression separated by + or −.
Example: In 3x + 5, the terms are 3x and 5.
Question: How many terms are in 3x + 5y − 7?
Answer: 3 terms
Example: 3x | +5y | −7
Question: What operation does product mean?
Answer: Multiplication.
Example: The product of 5 and 4 is 5 × 4 = 20.
Question: What is a multiple?
Answer: A number found by multiplying a number by a whole number.
Example: 15 is a multiple of 5 because 5 × 3 = 15.
Question: What are like terms?
Answer: Terms that have the same letters and powers.
Example: 3x + 7x are like terms.
Question: What does simplify mean?
Answer: To make an expression simpler without changing its value.
Example: 3x + 2x = 5x
Question: Which are like terms: 3x, 5, 7x, 2y?
Answer: 3x and 7x
Example: 3x + 7x = 10x
Question: What operation does quotient mean?
Answer: Division.
Example: The quotient of 20 and 5 is 20 ÷ 5 = 4.
Question: What is a prime number?
Answer: A number greater than 1 with exactly two factors: 1 and itself.
Example: 7 is prime because its only factors are 1 and 7.
Question: What is an inequality?
Answer: A statement that compares two values using <, >, ≤ or ≥.
Example: x > 5 means x is greater than 5.
Question: What does substitute mean?
Answer: To replace a letter with a given number.
Example: If x = 4, then x + 3 = 4 + 3 = 7.
Question: In 4x² + 3x − 8, what is the constant?
Answer: −8
Example: 4x² + 3x − 8 → −8 is the number without a variable.
Question: What is an inverse operation?
Answer: An operation that undoes another operation.
Example: +5 is undone by −5.
8 + 5 = 13 → 13 − 5 = 8
Question: What is a square number?
Answer: A number made by multiplying a whole number by itself.
Example: 6 × 6 = 36, so 36 is a square number.