Maths Terms for 11-13 Yr Olds

Information of a quantitative nature consisting of counts or measurements. Initially data are nearly always counts or things like percentages derived from counts. When they refer to measurements that are separate and can be counted, the data are discrete. When they refer to quantities such as length or capacity that are measured, the data are continuous. Singular: datum.

A means of storing sets of data, for example in an Excel spreadsheet.

Relating to the base ten. Most commonly used synonymously with decimal fraction where the number of tenths, hundredth, thousandths etc. are represented as digits following a decimal point. The decimal point is placed at the right of the units column. Each column after the decimal point is a decimal place. Example: The decimal fraction 0.275 is said to have three decimal places. The system of recording with a decimal point is decimal notation. Where a number is rounded to a required number of decimal places, to 2 decimal places for example, this may be recorded as 2 d.p.

Tenths, hundredths, thousandths etc. represented by digits following a decimal point. Example 0.125 is equivalent to 1/10 + 2/100 + 5/1000 or 125/1000 or 1/8

The decimal fraction representing 1/8 is a terminating decimal fraction since it has a finite number of decimal places. Other fractions such as 1/3 produce recurring decimal fractions.

These have a digit or group of digits that is repeated indefinitely.

The amount by which one number or value is greater than another, obtained by subtracting the smaller from the larger.

Data resulting from measurements taken on a discrete variable, i.e. one that can't be divided up into infinitely small parts (examples: value of coins in pupils’ pockets; number of peas in a pod).

Discrete data may be grouped. Example: Having collected the shoe sizes of pupils in the school, the data might be grouped into ’number of pupils with shoe sizes 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, etc.

A particular form of representation of grouped data. Segments along the x axis are proportional to the class interval. Rectangles are drawn with the line segments as bases. The area of the rectangle is proportional to the frequency in the class. Where the class intervals are not equal, the height of each rectangle is called the frequency density of the class.

A line drawn on a scatter graph to represent the best estimate of an underlying linear relationship between the variables.

In algebra, an adjective describing an expression, equation or relationship of degree one. Example: 2x + 3y = 7 is a linear equation. This linear equation with its two variables, x and y, can be represented as a straight line graph. The relationship between x and y is linear.