Foundations Glossary
Essential math vocabulary that connects basic arithmetic to first ML formulas
- Number - A mathematical object used to count, measure, or label.
- Integer - A whole number with no fractional part - positive, negative, or zero.
- Natural Number - Non-negative whole numbers used for counting.
- Real Number - Any number on the continuous number line, including irrationals.
- Addition - Combining two or more numbers into a total.
- Subtraction - Finding the difference between two numbers.
- Multiplication - Repeated addition or scaling.
- Division - Splitting a quantity into equal parts - inverse of multiplication.
- Fraction - A part of a whole written as numerator over denominator.
- Decimal - A number written with a decimal point, like 0.75 or 3.14.
- Percentage - A fraction expressed out of 100, written with the percent sign.
- Exponent - A small superscript indicating how many times to multiply a base by itself.
- Square Root - The number that, multiplied by itself, gives the input.
- Variable - A letter or symbol standing in for an unknown or changing number.
- Equation - A statement that two expressions are equal.
- Expression - A combination of numbers, variables, and operations - no equals sign.
- Function - A rule that takes an input and returns exactly one output.
- Constant - A fixed number that does not change - opposite of a variable.
- Inequality - A statement that one quantity is less than, greater than, or unequal to another.
- Sum - The result of adding a list of numbers, written compactly with sigma.
- Coefficient - The numerical factor in front of a variable.
- Order of Operations - Convention for evaluating expressions: parentheses, exponents, ×/÷, +/−.