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High School Archive

Browse High School Definitions

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What Does "Stellated" Mean? [03/31/1998]

Stellating polyhedra, including solids that are already stellated.

What is a continued fraction? [03/06/1998]

What is a continued fraction and what makes it different from the types of fractions or ratios I'm used to?

What is a Cuboctahedron? [01/02/2001]

What is a cuboctahedron?

What is a Functional Transformation? [08/11/2002]

I would like a brief definition of a functional transformation and what an application is in early Calculus.

What is a Median? [03/03/1998]

A definition of median, and four examples of calculating medians.

What is an N-gon? [06/01/1998]

Can you explain the statement: "In an N-gon, n-3 diagonals can be drawn from one vertex"?

What is a point? [8/26/1996]

Define a point, please.

What is a Property? [11/29/2001]

I understand Undefined and Defined terms and Axioms and Theorems, but what exactly is a Property? Is it the same thing as a Theorem? Also what is a Law?

What is a Set? [04/04/1997]

What is the correct term to refer to groups of objects like 3 cars, 7 pencils, or 5 apples?

What is a Sign? [04/21/2003]

Can you do anything in math without signs?

What is a slide rule? [07/27/1997]

What does a slide rule do and how does it work?

What Is a Theorem and Why Are They Important? [08/15/1997]

I don't understand how theorems help us learn.

What is Dimensional Analysis? [11/26/2001]

What is dimensional analysis and how does it work?

What is Length in a Rectangle? [05/31/1999]

Is the length of a rectangle the longest side, whether vertical or horizontal?

What is Math? [10/04/1997]

Is math a science, an art, or some other anomaly?

What is Meant by "the Sum of a Series"? [10/21/2003]

A series is the sum of consecutive terms. So why do many authors speak about "the sum of a series" if the name "series" already means "sum of consecutive terms"?

What is the Definition of 'Number'? [01/26/2006]

I think of a number as a symbol for a measure of magnitude, like how many of something there are. You can't have 2 + i things, so how can that be a complex 'number'? How do you define what a number really is?

What Motivates New Definitions? [02/06/2000]

Why do so many mathematical objects -- groups, fields, rings, vector spaces -- have nearly identical definitions and properties? Does every new object have to undergo some rigorous proof of its existence?

What Skew Lines Are and Aren't [01/14/2004]

A description of skew lines including diagrams and definitions.

When is the expression Q.E.D. used? [02/15/1999]

More on Q.E.D.

Why Cubed? [11/27/2001]

Why do we use "cubed" for the volume of a figure?

Why Does 0^0 = 1 and Not Undefined? [11/30/2007]

Your proof for why x^0 = 1 uses a law which breaks down at x = 0. Then in your definition for 0^0 you side significantly in favor of 0^0 = 1 based on your rule for x^0 = 1 (which was based on a law that breaks down at 0). Based on what I've read I would side in favor of undefined. Are there any more conclusive reasons for siding with 0^0 = 1?

Why Do We Have Leap Year ? [02/25/1998]

Why do we need to have one extra day each 4 years?

Why Is a Circle 360 Degrees? [07/01/1998]

Why is a circle defined as 360 degrees?

Why is a Telescoping Series Called Telescoping? [03/29/2008]

I understand what a telescoping series is, but I'm curious why it is referred to as 'telescoping'. What's the reason for that name?

Why is K Used as an Abbreviation for Area? [11/29/2004]

Many textbooks use the letter K to represent area in formulas, instead of A. Do you know why that is?

Why Isn't a Kilobyte 1,000 Bytes? [03/29/2001]

If the prefix kilo- means 1000, why is a kilobyte 1024 bytes instead of 1000 bytes?

Why Is Slope Rise Over Run and Not Run Over Rise? [03/05/2005]

We were wondering today in math class why slope is defined as rise over run and why it couldn't be run over rise?

Why They're Called Direction Cosines [09/11/2003]

I would like to know how to find the angles between a 3D vector and the 3 coordinate axes, given the components of the vector.

Why Use Q and Z? [09/12/2001]

Why is the letter Q used for rational numbers and Z for integers?

Writing Sigma Notation [02/03/1999]

What does the equation that goes under the Sigma notation imply?

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