Ask Dr. Math

Middle School Archive

Browse Middle School Definitions

Stars indicate particularly interesting answers or good places to begin browsing.

---

Naming Nine Things [01/15/2003]

What is the correct name for nine things collectively? I can only find the answer up to 7, septuplet, which has been highly publicized with the McCoy babies.

Nautical Mph/Knots [08/12/2003]

I want to know how fast the wind is blowing when the weather report states 5 knots.

Negating Statements [10/27/1998]

What is negation? What is a statement? How do you negate a statement?

Nets in a Geometrical Sense [03/07/1999]

What is the "net" of a shape?

Nonagon or Enneagon? [02/06/2003]

Is 'enneagon' really the correct name for a 9-sided polygon?

Non-Euclidean Geometry [10/22/2001]

What is non-Euclidean geometry? What two concepts are different from Euclidean geometry?

Non-Euclidean Geometry for 9th Graders [12/23/1994]

I would to know if there is non-euclidean geometry that would be appropriate in difficulty for ninth graders to study.

Normal Distribution Curve [11/13/2000]

What is the normal distribution curve?

No Slope: An Ambiguous Term [05/08/2003]

What is the distinction between a line with a slope of zero and a line with no slope?

No Thickness [12/08/2002]

What is a location in space that has no thickness?

Number of Cylinder Edges [04/01/2002]

My son was asked "how many edges are there on a solid cylinder?" on a recent math examination. His answer was "2" and it was marked incorrect.

Numbers and Digits [09/21/2000]

What is a digit? Why can't we call a digit a number?

Numbers and Numerals [09/06/1997]

What's the difference between a number and a numeral?

Numbers and Numerals [08/29/2002]

15/5 and sqrt(9) both reduce to 3, but is it proper to say that they are integers?

Numbers: Cardinal, Ordinal, Nominal? [10/25/1999]

Which group of numbers - cardinal, ordinal or nominal - does "time" fit into? Are there other types of numbers as well?

Number Word Etymologies [05/03/2001]

Who made up the names for numbers?

Obtuse and Oblique [7/29/1996]

Are the terms "obtuse" and "oblique" interchangeable?

Odds Slang for Probability? [02/06/1997]

Is "odds" slang for probability?

One- and Two-sided Polygons [12/07/1999]

Can you explain what a monogon and a digon are?

One Dimension [05/13/2003]

Is there such a thing as 1D?

Ordered Pairs vs. Coordinates [9/9/1996]

What is the difference between an ordered pair and coordinates?

Order of Quadrant Numbers [10/21/2002]

Why are quadrants numbered that way?

Origin, Meaning of 'Hypotenuse' [9/13/1996]

What is the origin and meaning of the term "hypotenuse"?

Origin of Net View [05/14/2002]

We are studying the volume of pyramids and my students were interested as to why the 'exploded' look at the pyramid was called the net view.

Origin of the Null Symbol [03/05/2003]

Where did the null symbol come from?

Origin of the Term Acre [03/10/2002]

What is the origin of the measurement acre?

Origin of the Term "Improper" Fraction [07/28/2006]

Why are fractions with larger numerators than denominators called "improper"? Where did the terms "proper" and "improper" originate in relation to fractions?

Origin of the Term Logarithm [10/27/1999]

Where does the term logarithm come from?

Origin of the Terms Sine, Cosine, Tangent, etc. [10/27/1999]

Can you tell me the origin of the terms hypotenuse, sine, cosine, and tangent? Can you tell me how the trigonometric formulas for sine, cosine, and tangent came about?

Origin of the Term Vertical Angles [04/04/2005]

Why do we call them "vertical angles" when many of them are "horizontal" (extending left and right)? Where did that name come from?

Origin of the Word Pyramid [07/05/1999]

Were the Egyptian pyramids named after the geometric figure 'pyramid' or vice-versa?

Origin of the Word Root [02/18/2002]

If we set an expression equal to zero, we call the solution the "root" of the equation. Why?

Origin of the Word 'Yard' [9/12/1996]

Why do they call a yard, a yard? Where does this word originate?

Origins of Celsius and Fahrenheit [03/31/2002]

Who invented Celsius and Fahrenheit?

Parallel Curves [05/21/1997]

If line segments can be parallel, can curves be parallel? Are lines of latitude parallel?

Pareto and Bar Charts [3/12/1997]

What are three distinguishing differences between Pareto Charts and Bar Charts?

Parsec (pc) [10/26/2001]

One of the unit conversions my Casio fx-991MS calculator does is pc to km and km to pc. What does "pc" mean in this context?

Parts of a Cone [04/18/2001]

Does a solid cone have any edges?

Pattern or Sequence? [10/02/2003]

What is the difference between a pattern and a sequence?

A Peck of Peppers [02/27/2002]

If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, how many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick? How much is a peck?

Page: [<prev]  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9 10 [next>]