Ask Dr. Math

Middle School Archive

Browse Middle School Definitions

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Length of a Light-Year [1/31/1996]

How far is a light year in miles or kilometers?

Length or Width? [12/02/2003]

Can you please explain the difference between height, length, width and depth? Is it always the same for each thing?

Light Year [08/09/1997]

How long (in miles) is a light year?

Light Years [11/19/1997]

How many miles is a light year?

Linear and Board Feet [01/04/1999]

Can you explain the terms linear foot and board foot as they are used in the lumber industry?

Linear Footage [04/20/2002]

There is a fence I want to buy, but the ad says '4 foot tall, 50 linear feet. What is a linear foot compared to a regular foot?

Linear Foot [7/1/1996]

How much is a linear foot?

Line of Best Fit [8/1/1996]

Are a best-fit line, a line of best fit, and a fitted line synonymous?

Lines of Symmetry [03/17/1997]

What are lines of symmetry?

Line under Greater or Less Than Symbol [01/26/2001]

What does it mean when there is a line under the greater or less than symbol?

Mass and Weight [08/16/1997]

Why are mass and weight both measured with the same unit? If weight is different on the moon and mass is not, what is the difference?

Mass versus Weight [09/09/99]

Do mass and weight refer to the same thing on earth? Is mass equal to weight?

Mass vs. Weight [01/22/1999]

Can you give me a definition of mass and how it differs from weight?

Mathematical Induction [09/07/1998]

What is mathematical induction? Can you give an example of the ideas of math induction?

Mathematical Meaning of Undefined [12/19/2002]

What is the meaning of the word 'undefined' in mathematical terms?

Mathematical Models [07/17/2002]

What is a mathematical model, and how would it be used?

Mathematics, Logic, and Intuition [05/27/2003]

How is math related to logic and intuition?

Math Symbol for C [12/15/1997]

I am puzzled by one symbol of typing math. What does the upper case letter C mean? As in (2C1) (3C1) / (47C2) = 6/1081.

The Meaning of Locus [03/04/2003]

What is the locus of points equidistant from two parallel lines 8 meters apart?

Meaning of Q.E.F. [8/20/1996]

What does Q.E.F. mean? I've seen it in Euclid's Elements along with Q.E.D...

The Meaning of Space [07/23/1997]

Is the term 'Space' a mathematical object? I have seen it in "Vector Space," "Banach Space," and "Hilbert Space," but are they the same thing?

Meaning of the Words Compass and Protractor [08/17/1999]

Why is a compass called a compass when it protracts and retracts, and why is a protractor called a protractor when it is used to measure degrees?

Meanings of Properties [07/23/1997]

What do Associative Property, Commutative Property, and Distributive Property mean?

Mean, Median, and Mode [07/15/1998]

Can you explain the three ways to represent a group - mean, median, and mode? I am having trouble understanding the mode.

Mean, Median, Mode, Range [11/23/1997]

What are the definitions of mean, median, mode, and range?

Means and Extremes of a Proportion [09/16/2004]

In the proportion a/b = c/d, why are the a and the d called the extremes and the b and c called the means of the proportion?

Measuring by Degrees [06/16/2002]

Why is it that angles and temperature are both measured in degrees?

Median: Average of Two Points [8/24/1996]

What is the median in an even list of numbers?

Median, Quartiles [1/09/1998]

Find the median and upper and lower quartiles: 22,18,9,26,14,15,6,19,28.

Median: the Middle Term [9/14/1996]

What is the median?

Megagram, Short Ton, Long Ton [03/12/2002]

How does a megagram compare to a a short ton or a long ton?

Meters Squared vs. Square Meters [11/18/2001]

Is 12 m^2 better read as 12 square meters or 12 meters squared?

Metres Squared and Square Metres [05/02/2003]

Are square metres and metres squared the same thing?

Metric System Prefixes [09/17/1997]

My algebra teacher wrote the word teraflops on the board and told us to find the meaning.

Miles Squared vs. Square Miles [07/09/1999]

What is the difference between 10 square miles and 10 miles square?

Mnemonic for Less Than and Greater Than [08/11/1999]

What was the old adage for telling how to read the less than and greater than symbols correctly?

Mode, Median, and Mean [08/23/1997]

Find a set of five data values with modes 0 and 2, median 2, and mean 2.

Moebius Strips: How Many Sides and Surfaces? [10/18/2001]

What is the difference between a side and a surface?

Multiplier, Sum, Difference, Product, Quotient, Dividend [11/25/1997]

What is a multiplier? an addend? a minuend? a product? Why is the number that is being divided the "dividend"?

Name of Bar That Denotes a Repeating Decimal [08/30/2004]

What is the name of the bar that goes over a digit or group of digits that signifies that the digit or group repeats?

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