OCR GCSE Mathematics key terms

A rule that gives a term directly from its position number.

A vector from a fixed origin to a point.

A relationship in which one variable tends to increase as the other increases.

The number of times a variable is multiplied by itself; for example, $x^3$ is the third power, or cube, of $x$.

A compact notation for repeated multiplication; in $5^3$, the index 3 means that three factors of 5 are multiplied.

A shortened way to show repeated multiplication; for example, $2^4$ means $2\times2\times2\times2$.

Force acting per unit area, calculated using pressure = force ÷ area.

A factor of a number that is also a prime number.

An expression of a whole number as a product containing only prime factors.

A whole number greater than 1 with exactly two distinct positive factors: 1 and itself.

The original amount borrowed or invested, before interest is added.

A three-dimensional solid with two identical, parallel polygonal ends and the same cross-section throughout its length.

A number from 0 to 1 that measures how likely an event is to happen.

A quantity formed by multiplying numbers, variables or algebraic expressions.

A counting rule: when a process has successive stages with fixed numbers of choices, multiply the numbers of choices to find the total number of outcomes.

A logical sequence of justified mathematical steps establishing that a statement must be true.

A fraction whose numerator has a smaller magnitude than its denominator, such as $\frac{3}{5}$ or $-\frac{3}{5}$. Its magnitude is less than 1.

A statement that follows from a shape’s definition or from facts already proved about the shape.

A relationship in which two ratios are equal, so corresponding quantities change by the same scale factor.

The symbol $\propto$, read as “is proportional to”; it describes a proportional relationship but is not an equals sign.

An instrument marked in degrees, used to measure and draw angles.

A three-dimensional solid with a polygonal base and triangular faces that meet at one vertex.

The relationship that, in a right-angled triangle, the squares of the two shorter sides add to the square of the hypotenuse.

One of the four regions formed by the two coordinate axes.

An equation containing a squared variable as its highest power, such as $y=2x^2+3x-2$.

An expression of the form $ax^2+bx+c$, where $a$, $b$ and $c$ are constants and $a\ne0$.

A polynomial function whose highest power of $x$ is 2; its graph is a parabola.