ALEKS Math key terms

A letter or symbol that stands for a number whose value is not fixed, allowing a rule or relationship to be written in general form.

A combination of numbers, variables, and operation signs that represents a value but contains no equals sign, so it can be simplified but not solved.

A statement that two expressions have equal value, written with an equals sign, which can be solved for unknown values.

The collection of all values that make an equation or inequality true when substituted for the variable.

A statement comparing two expressions using symbols such as less than, greater than, or not equal, describing a range of possible values.

A number measuring how steeply a line rises or falls, computed as the change in vertical value divided by the change in horizontal value between two points.

The point where a graph crosses the vertical axis, occurring where the input value equals zero.

A relationship whose graph is a straight line and whose output changes by a constant amount for each unit change in input.

A relationship whose highest power of the variable is two, producing a U-shaped graph called a parabola.

The curved symmetric graph of a quadratic relationship, opening upward or downward from a turning point.

The highest or lowest turning point of a parabola, where the graph changes direction.

Rewriting an expression as a product of simpler expressions, often used to solve equations set equal to zero.

The rule that if a product of factors equals zero, then at least one of those factors must itself equal zero.

A small raised number showing how many times a base is multiplied by itself.

The number or expression that is raised to a power, appearing below and before an exponent.

The power to which a base must be raised to produce a given number, serving as the inverse operation of exponentiation.

A rule pairing each allowed input with exactly one output, often written as f of x.

The complete set of input values for which a function or expression is defined and produces a real result.

The complete set of output values a function actually produces from its domain.

The distance of a number from zero on the number line, always zero or positive regardless of sign.

The relationship stating that in a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides.

The longest side of a right triangle, lying opposite the right angle.

A triangle containing one ninety-degree angle, which enables trigonometric ratios and the Pythagorean relationship.

A trigonometric ratio comparing the side opposite a given acute angle in a right triangle to the hypotenuse.

A trigonometric ratio comparing the side adjacent to a given acute angle in a right triangle to the hypotenuse.

The arithmetic average of a data set, found by adding all values and dividing by how many values there are.

The middle value of a data set arranged in order, or the average of the two middle values when the count is even.

A measure of how spread out data values are around their mean, equal to the square root of the variance.

A number between zero and one expressing how likely an event is, often computed as favorable outcomes divided by total equally likely outcomes.

A selection of items from a group where the order of choosing does not matter.

An arrangement of items from a group where the order of selection does matter.

The chemistry counting unit equal to Avogadro's number of particles, used to connect mass, particle count, and reaction amounts.

The mass in grams of one mole of a substance, found by summing the atomic masses of all atoms in its formula.

The calculation of quantities of reactants and products in a balanced chemical reaction using mole ratios from the coefficients.

The reactant that is used up first in a reaction, capping the maximum amount of product that can form.

The actual measured amount of product divided by the theoretically predicted amount, multiplied by one hundred.

A concentration measure equal to moles of solute divided by liters of solution.

The process of adding solvent to a solution, lowering its concentration while keeping the total moles of solute unchanged.