Botswana PSLE Mathematics key terms

The value a digit has because of its position in a number. In 4 372, the 3 stands for 300 and the 7 stands for 70.

Any one of the ten symbols 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 used to write numbers. A number is built from one or more of these symbols.

A way of writing a number as the sum of the values of its digits, such as 4 372 = 4 000 + 300 + 70 + 2.

Replacing a number with a nearby number of a chosen size, such as the nearest ten or hundred. Look at the next digit: 5 or more rounds up.

A sensible approximate answer found by rounding or by using easy numbers, often used to check whether an exact answer is reasonable.

A whole number that divides another number exactly with no remainder. For example, 1, 2, 4 and 8 are all factors of 8.

The result of multiplying a number by a whole number. The multiples of 5 are 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on.

A whole number greater than 1 that has exactly two factors: 1 and itself. Examples are 2, 3, 5, 7 and 11.

A whole number greater than 1 that has more than two factors, so it can be divided exactly by a number other than 1 and itself, such as 12.

The smallest number that is a multiple of two or more given numbers. For 4 and 6 the multiples meet first at 12.

The largest number that divides two or more given numbers exactly. For 12 and 18 the largest such number is 6.

The top number of a fraction. It tells how many equal parts of the whole are being counted or described.

The bottom number of a fraction. It tells into how many equal parts the whole has been divided.

Fractions that look different but name the same amount, such as one half and two quarters. Multiplying or dividing top and bottom by the same number creates them.

A fraction written with the smallest possible whole numbers on top and bottom, made by dividing both by their highest common factor.

A way of writing numbers using place value based on tenths, hundredths and so on, with a point separating whole numbers from parts, as in 3.25.

A number of parts out of one hundred. Fifty per cent means 50 out of every 100, which is the same as one half.

A comparison of two or more quantities by how many times one contains the other, written like 3 : 5 and read as three to five.

A statement that two ratios are equal, or the idea that quantities grow or shrink together at the same rate.

The amount left over when one whole number does not divide exactly into another, as when 17 divided by 5 leaves 2.

The answer obtained when one number is divided by another. In 20 divided by 4, the quotient is 5.

The total distance all the way around the outside edge of a flat shape, found by adding the lengths of its sides.

The amount of flat surface a shape covers, measured in square units such as square centimetres.

The amount of space a solid object takes up, measured in cubic units such as cubic centimetres.

How much a container can hold, usually measured in litres and millilitres for liquids.

The amount of matter in an object, measured in grams and kilograms. It is not the same as weight, though the words are often used alike.

The measurement of how long something is from one end to the other, in units such as millimetres, centimetres, metres and kilometres.

Changing a measurement from one unit to another without changing the amount, for example 1 metre becomes 100 centimetres.

A square with sides one unit long, used to measure area. A rectangle 3 cm by 4 cm covers 12 such squares.

The amount of time between two moments, found by subtracting the earlier time from the later one, sometimes borrowing 60 minutes.

The amount of turning between two straight lines that meet at a point, measured in degrees.

An angle of exactly 90 degrees, like the corner of a square. Two lines meeting at a right angle are perpendicular.

Two straight lines that meet or cross at a right angle, forming a square corner where they meet.

Straight lines in the same flat surface that never meet, however far they are extended, because the gap between them stays the same.

The quality a shape has when one half is an exact mirror image of the other half across a line.

A line drawn through a shape so that folding along it makes the two halves fit exactly on top of each other.

A semicircular measuring tool marked in degrees, used to measure and to draw angles.

The average found by adding all the values and dividing the total by how many values there are.

The middle value when a set of numbers is arranged in order from smallest to largest. With an even count, it is the mean of the two middle values.

The value that appears most often in a set of data. A set may have no mode or more than one.

The number of times a particular value or item occurs in a set of data, often shown by tally marks.

A quick way of recording counts using short strokes, with every fifth stroke drawn across the previous four.

A chart that shows data as bars of equal width, where the height or length of each bar stands for its value.

A chart that uses small pictures or symbols to show data, with a key explaining what each symbol is worth.

A circle divided into slices to show how a whole is shared out, where each slice stands for a part of the total.

The difference between the largest and the smallest value in a set of data, found by subtracting the smallest from the largest.

A list of numbers that follows a rule, such as adding 3 each time, so the next term can be worked out.

One single number or item in a sequence or pattern, counted by its position, such as the third term.

The instruction that tells how each term in a pattern is made from the one before it or from its position number.

A value in a number sentence or problem that is not yet known and must be worked out, often shown by a letter or a box.

A mathematical statement saying two amounts are equal, with an equals sign between them, such as 3 + n = 10.