PMA Cadet Entrance Test key terms

A whole number with no fractional or decimal part, such as -7, 0, or 42. Integers include negatives, zero, and positives, and are closed under addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

Any number that can be written as a fraction of two integers with a nonzero denominator, such as 3/4, -5, or 0.25. Its decimal form either terminates or repeats.

The distance of a number from zero on the number line, always nonnegative. Written with bars, so |-9| = 9 and |9| = 9. It removes any minus sign.

A number written as one integer divided by another, showing part of a whole. The top number is the numerator, the bottom is the denominator, and the denominator cannot be zero.

The smallest positive number that is a multiple of two or more given numbers. For 6 and 8 the multiples meet first at 24, which helps when adding fractions.

The largest positive number that divides two or more given numbers with no remainder. For 18 and 24 it is 6, useful for simplifying fractions and factoring expressions.

A whole number greater than 1 whose only positive divisors are 1 and itself, such as 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11. The number 1 is not prime.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written as a:b or as a fraction. It tells how many times one amount contains another and is used for scaling.

A statement that two ratios are equal, such as 3/4 = 9/12. In a proportion, the cross products of the extremes and means are equal.

A number expressed as a part per hundred, using the percent sign. For example, 25% equals 25/100 or 0.25, and is computed by dividing the part by the whole and multiplying by 100.

The sum of a set of values divided by how many values there are. For 4, 6, and 11 the mean is 21 divided by 3, which is 7.

The middle value of a set of numbers arranged in order. If the set has an even count, the median is the mean of the two middle values.

The value that appears most often in a set of data. A set may have one mode, several modes, or none if every value appears the same number of times.

An equation whose variables are all raised to the first power, so its graph is a straight line. Examples include 2x + 3 = 11 and y = 4x - 1.

The steepness of a line, calculated as the change in y divided by the change in x between two points. A horizontal line has slope zero.

In a right triangle, the square of the hypotenuse equals the sum of the squares of the other two sides: a squared plus b squared equals c squared.

The total distance around the outside of a flat shape, found by adding all its side lengths. For a rectangle it equals twice the sum of length and width.

The amount of surface a flat shape covers, measured in square units. For example, a rectangle's area is length times width, and a triangle's is half base times height.

The amount of space a three-dimensional object occupies, measured in cubic units. A rectangular box's volume is length times width times height.

A straight line on which every point stands for a number, with zero marked and equal spacing for whole steps. It shows order, distance, and direction of values.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as big and large. Synonym questions test whether you can match words by meaning.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as hot and cold. Antonym questions ask you to pick the word most nearly opposite in meaning.

A comparison showing how two pairs of words relate in the same way, often written with colons. Solving one means naming the relationship, then applying it to a new pair.

A hint inside a sentence or passage that helps you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Nearby examples, contrasts, and definitions are common types.

A conclusion drawn from evidence in a passage rather than stated outright. Readers combine stated facts with reasoning to reach a reasonable, supported idea.

The central point a paragraph or passage is built around, usually stated in a topic sentence. Supporting details explain, prove, or illustrate it.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person. A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

A word that stands in place of a noun, such as he, she, it, they, or them. A pronoun must clearly refer to the noun it replaces.

A word showing the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another part of the sentence, such as in, on, under, before, or between.

The process by which green plants use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make sugar and release oxygen. It happens mainly in leaves, inside structures called chloroplasts.

The smallest unit of life that can carry out all basic life processes. Some organisms are single cells, while others, like humans, are built of many.

The type of cell division that produces two identical daughter cells, used for growth and repair. It keeps the same chromosome number in each new cell.

The molecule that carries genetic instructions in living things. It is shaped like a twisted ladder, and its sequence of bases codes for traits passed to offspring.

A community of living things interacting with each other and with their nonliving surroundings, such as soil, water, and air. Energy flows through it from producers to consumers.

Three rules describing how forces affect motion: objects resist change, force equals mass times acceleration, and every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

The force of attraction between objects that have mass. On Earth it pulls objects downward at about 9.8 meters per second squared in a vacuum.

The capacity to do work or cause change, existing in forms such as kinetic, potential, chemical, and thermal. Energy can change form but is not created or destroyed.

A repeated or predictable arrangement of shapes, numbers, or symbols. Finding the rule behind a pattern lets you predict what comes next in a sequence.

An ordered list of numbers or items that follows a rule, such as adding 3 each time. Identifying the rule lets you supply missing terms.

A turn of a figure around a fixed point, described by direction and angle, such as 90 degrees clockwise. The shape keeps its size and form.

A mirror image of a figure flipped across a line. Left and right are reversed relative to the line, but size and shape stay the same.

A quality of a figure that looks unchanged when folded, turned, or flipped in a certain way. A line of symmetry divides a shape into matching halves.

The fundamental set of rules establishing a country's government, defining its branches, powers, and the rights of its people. The Philippine Constitution is the supreme law of the land.

A form of government in which people elect representatives and a president rather than being ruled by a monarch. The Philippines is a democratic republic.

The three divisions of state power: executive, which enforces laws; legislative, which makes them; and judicial, which interprets them. Each checks the others.

A group or chain of islands surrounded by water. The Philippines is an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands located in Southeast Asia.