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Browse High School Definitions

Stars indicate particularly interesting answers or good places to begin browsing.

Inclusive vs. Exclusive Definitions [01/24/2002]
My geometry teacher says that a square is not also a rhombus, a rectangle, and a parallelogram. Please help!

Incommensurable Numbers [07/25/2001]
What is an incommensurable number?


Interpolation and Extrapolation [08/10/1999]

Interpreting Expressions Involving Cosine Squared [03/16/2007]
I don't understand the difference between cos(x)^2, cos^2(x) and (cos (x))^2. Are they all same?

Introduction to Quadrants in the Coordinate Plane [02/05/2004]
What is a quadrant? How do you find it? I had to identify 9 ordered pairs on a graph. Now I need to also name the quadrant each one is in.

Inverse of a Function vs. Inverse Proportionality [11/20/2002]
Finding the inverse of a function and graphing yields a graph that has been reflected in the line y = x relative to the function. Inverse proportionality, however, yields a reciprocal relation graphically. Why do these two things have similar names yet mean different things?

Inverses of Functions, and Inverse Functions [02/12/2014]
A student's textbooks give her conflicting definitions about functions and their inverses. Doctor Peterson makes sense of the disagreements by providing the bigger picture.

Is a Circle a Polygon? [03/07/1999]
A circle is not a polygon.

Is an Equilateral Triangle Also Isosceles? [02/19/2008]
Can equilateral triangles also be classified as isosceles? In other words, does an isosceles triangle have exactly two equal sides or at least two equal sides?



Isomorphisms [08/16/1999]

Is Zero Considered a Pure Imaginary Number (as 0i)? [12/02/2003]
In the complex plane, zero (0 + 0i) is on both the real and pure imaginary axes. Is 0 therefore a pure imaginary number as well as a real number?


Josephus Problem [04/18/2003]

The Königsberg Bridge [5/20/1996]
Do you have information on Konigsberg's bridge?

Lagrange Multipliers [01/08/1998]
I have a problem with Lagrange Multipliers - can you help?


Latin Origins of Trig Functions [11/20/1998]
What are the etymologies of the six trigonometric functions: sine, cosine, tangent, cosecant, secant, and cotangent?

Laws of Arithmetic [02/12/1999]
The Distributive Law, Associative Law, Identity, and Commutative Equations.

Leg of a Triangle [04/02/2002]

How far is a light year in miles or kilometers?

Limit of x sin(1/x) [04/23/2002]
I assumed from the graph that the function had a limit at x=0 of 0, but since it involves sin(1/0) I can not prove this using the basic trigonometric limits (sin x/x and (1-cos x)/x), L'Hopital's rule, or by rearranging the equation. Can you help?

Linear Algebra - Definition of Orthonormal [10/28/1997]
Show that the transition matrix P from one orthonormal basis to another is unitary, that is, P*P = I.

Linear and Board Feet [01/04/1999]

Linear Footage [04/20/2002]

Line of Best Fit [8/1/1996]

Line or Ray Longer? [12/11/2001]
Which is longer, a ray or a line?

Locus [05/03/1999]
What is a locus?

Mass and Weight [08/16/1997]

Mass versus Weight [09/09/99]

Mass vs. Weight [01/22/1999]

Mathematical Induction [09/07/1998]

Mathematical Meaning of Undefined [12/19/2002]
What is the meaning of the word 'undefined' in mathematical terms?

Mathematical Models [07/17/2002]

How is math related to logic and intuition?

Math Symbol for C [12/15/1997]
I am puzzled by one symbol of typing math. What does the upper case letter C mean? As in (2C1) (3C1) / (47C2) = 6/1081.

Math Symbols [04/07/1997]

Matrix Multiplication [09/04/1997]
I am doing a project in Algebra 2 and must research matrix multiplication.


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