Glossary (In Progress)
- Absolute value
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The absolute value of a number is its distance from 0 on the number line. The absolute value of a number is written as . 
- Amortization
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Is the process of spreading out a loan into a series of fixed payments. 
- Amount financed
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Is the purchase price of the item less any down payment. 
- Annuity
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Is a series of payments made at fixed intervals. 
- Annuity due
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Is an annuity where the payment is due at the beginning of each payment period. 
- Coincident lines
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Coincident lines are lines that have the same slope and same y-intercept. 
- Complementary angles
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Two angles are complementary if the sum of the measures of their angles is 90 degrees. 
- Compound amount
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Is the total amount of principal and accumulated interest at the end of a loan or investment period. 
- Compound interest
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Is when the interest on a loan or deposit is calculated based on both the initial principal and any accumulated interest from previous periods. 
- Compounding period
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Is the span of time between when interest is calculated and when it will be calculated again. 
- Conditional equation
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An equation that is true for one or more values of the variable and false for all other values of the variable is a conditional equation. 
- Consistent system
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A consistent system of equations is a system of equations with at least one solution. 
- Contradiction
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An equation that is false for all values of the variable is called a contradiction. A contradiction has no solution. 
- Decimal
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A decimal is another way of writing a fraction whose denominator is a power of ten. 
- Dependent equations
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Two equations are dependent if all the solutions of one equation are also solutions of the other equation. 
- Effective interest rate
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Takes the compounding periods into effect, so it is a better reflection of the actual interest charges. 
- Equation
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An equation is made up of two expressions connected by an equal sign. 
- Equivalent decimals
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Two decimals are equivalent if they convert to equivalent fractions. 
- Expression
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An expression is a number, a variable, or a combination of numbers and variables and operation symbols. 
- Finance charge
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Is the total of the interest charges on a loan. 
- Frequency distribution
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A table or graph that illustrates the number of times that a specific outcome or data value occurs within an interval. 
- Future value of the annuity
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Is the final amount of the annuity. It is the total of all annuity payments and the accumulated compound interest. 
- Graph of a linear equation
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The graph of a linear equation is a straight line. Every point on the line is a solution of the equation. Every solution of this equation is a point on this line. 
- Histogram
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Represents the frequency distribution (number of occurrences) of each data value. The data values are grouped into intervals or “bins”. 
- Histograms
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Used to illustrate the distribution of one specific data item such as height or temperature. 
- Horizontal line
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A horizontal line is the graph of an equation of the form . The line passes through the y-axis at . 
- Identity
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An equation that is true for any value of the variable is called an identity. The solution of an identity is all real numbers. 
- Inconsistent system
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An inconsistent system of equations is a system of equations with no solution. 
- Independent equations
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Two equations are independent if they have different solutions. 
- Installment loan
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Is a type of loan that is repaid over time with a set number of scheduled payments (installments). The term of loan may be vary and could be few months or many years. 
- Integer
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The whole numbers and their opposites are called the integers: …−3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3… 
- Intercepts of a line
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The points where a line crosses the x– axis and the y– axis are called the intercepts of the line. 
- Irrational number
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An irrational number is a number that cannot be written as the ratio of two integers. Its decimal form does not stop and does not repeat. 
- Least common denominator
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The least common denominator (LCD) of two fractions is the Least common multiple (LCM) of their denominators. 
- Linear equation
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A linear equation is of the form , where A and B are not both zero, is called a linear equation in two variables 
- Maturity date
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Is when all principal and/or interest must be repaid to the lender. 
- Maturity value
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Is the amount to be paid on the due date of a loan or the amount to be paid to an investor at the end of the period for which an investment has been made. 
- Mean
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is the average of all data values. 
- Median
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is the data value that divides all ranked data values into two equal parts. It need not be one of the data values. 
- Mode
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is the data value that occurs most often. 
- Negative slope
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A negative slope of a line goes down as you read from left to right. 
- Nominal interest rate
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Is normally the stated rate. It does not take the compounding periods into effect. 
- Normal Distribution
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Is when the data values lie in a symmetric fashion around the mean. Half of the data values lie on either side of the mean. 
- nth root of a number
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If then b is an nth root of a. 
 The principal nth root of a is written
 n is called the index of the radical.
- Opposite
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The opposite of a number is the number that is the same distance from zero on the number line but on the opposite side of zero: means the opposite of the number. The notation is read “the opposite of .” 
- Ordered pair
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An ordered pair gives the coordinates of a point in a rectangular coordinate system. 
- Ordinary annuity
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Is an annuity where the payment is due at the end of each payment period. 
- Origin
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The point is called the origin. It is the point where the x-axis and y-axis intersect. 
- Outlier
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A data observation that is deemed to be unusual based on the pattern of the other data values. 
- Parallel lines
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Lines in the same plane that do not intersect. 
- Payment interval
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Is the time between successive annuity payments. 
- Percent
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A percent is a ratio whose denominator is . 
- Percentiles
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Divide ordered data into hundredths. 
- Perpendicular lines
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Lines in the same plane that form a right angle. 
- Positive slope
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A positive slope of a line goes up as you read from left to right. 
- Present value
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Is the current value of a sum of money that has been invested and has grown to a larger compound amount. 
- Principal
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Is the amount of money that has been invested or borrowed. 
- Proportion
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A proportion is an equation of the form , where , .The proportion states two ratios or rates are equal. The proportion is read “ is to , as is to ”. 
- Quadrant
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The x-axis and the y-axis divide a plane into four regions, called quadrants. 
- Qualitative data
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Are the result of categorizing or describing attributes of a population using our senses such as sight or touch. 
- Quantitative data
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Are the result of counting or measuring a specific attribute of a population. 
- Quartiles
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Divide ordered data into four equal parts. 
- Range
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Indicates the total spread in data values. It is the difference between the highest and lowest data values. 
- Rate
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A rate compares two quantities of different units. A rate is usually written as a fraction. 
- Ratio
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A ratio compares two numbers or two quantities that are measured with the same unit. The ratio of to is written to , , or . 
- Rational number
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A rational number is a number of the form , where p and q are integers and . A rational number can be written as the ratio of two integers. Its decimal form stops or repeats. 
- Real number
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A real number is a number that is either rational or irrational 
- Rectangular coordinate system
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A grid system is used in algebra to show a relationship between two variables; also called the xy-plane or the ‘coordinate plane.’ 
- Repeating decimal
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A repeating decimal is a decimal in which the last digit or group of digits repeats endlessly. 
- Rise
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The rise of a line is its vertical change. 
- Run
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The run of a line is its horizontal change. 
- Sigma
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Is the uppercase Greek letter written ∑. It is used to indicate the sum of a series of values. 
- Simple interest
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Is interest that is calculated only once during the entire time period of the loan or deposit. Simple interest is calculated solely on the principal investment or loan. 
- Skewed Distribution
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Is when more of the data values lie at one end of the distribution as compared to the other end. 
- Slope formula
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The slope of the line between two points and is . 
- Slope of a line
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The slope of a line is . The rise measures the vertical change and the run measures the horizontal change. 
- Slope-intercept form of an equation of a line
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The slope–intercept form of an equation of a line with slope and y-intercept, is, . 
- Solution of an equation
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A value of a variable that makes a true statement when substituted into the equation. 
- Solutions of a system of equations
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Solutions of a system of equations are the values of the variables that make all the equations true. A solution of a system of two linear equations is represented by an ordered pair (x, y). 
- Square root notation
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is read ‘the square root of m’ 
 If n2 = m, then forThe square root of m, is a positive number whose square is m. 
- Standard deviation
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Measures the dispersion of the data values around the mean. 
- Stem and leaf graph
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Divides each data observation into a stem and a leaf. The stem is the first digit or digits and the leaf is the last digit. 
- Supplementary angles
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If the sum of the measures of two angles is °, then they are called supplementary angles. 
- System of linear equations
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When two or more linear equations are grouped together, they form a system of linear equations. 
- Term of the annuity
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Is the time from the beginning of the first payment interval to the end of the last payment interval. 
- Triangle
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A triangle is a geometric figure with three sides and three angles. 
- Unit rate
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A unit rate is a rate with denominator of 1 unit. 
- Vertex of an angle
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When two rays meet to form an angle, the common endpoint is called the vertex of the angle. 
- Vertical line
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A vertical line is the graph of an equation of the form . The line passes through the x-axis at . 
- X– intercept
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The point where the line crosses the x– axis; the x– intercept occurs when is zero. 
- X-coordinate
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The first number in an ordered pair . 
- Y-coordinate
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The second number in an ordered pair . 
- Y-intercept
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The point where the line crosses the y– axis; the y– intercept occurs when is zero. 
- Z-score
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Is a standardized score that has been converted from a data value. The z-score indicates how many standard deviations away from the mean a data value lies. 
