Maths Terms for 11-13 Yr Olds

A number less than zero. Example: -0.25. Where a point on a line is labelled 0 and equally spaced points to one side of it are labelled -1, -2, -3 etc, these, and the numbers represented by points between them, are negative numbers.

Negative numbers can also be used to represent direction, for example when describing the velocity (speed and direction) of a projectile. If a ball hits a wall and is said to move at 20 metres per second and then -2 metres per second, this just means that at some point it moves in the opposite direction it started moving (i.e. it bounces back off the wall at a speed of 2 metres per second.

1. In geometry, a plane figure in 2D composed of polygons which by folding and joining can form a 3D polyhedron.

2. Adjective meaning 'remaining after deductions'. Example: for businesses net profit is their profit after deducting all operating costs and expenses.

Any convention for recording mathematical ideas in writing and symbols. Example: Money is recorded using decimal notation e.g. £2.50.

A symbol used to denote a number. The Roman numerals I, V, X, L, C, D and M represent the numbers one, five, ten, fifty, one hundred, five hundred and one thousand. The Arabic numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 are used in the Hindu-Arabic system giving numbers in the form that is widely used today.