Basic Math Review

Numbers
NATURAL NUMBERS
Important Properties PROPERTIES OF ADDITION
{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}
Identity Property of Zero:
a+0=a
WHOLE NUMBERS
Inverse Property:
a + 1-a2 = 0
{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …}
Commutative Property:
a+b=b+a
INTEGERS
Associative Property:
a + 1b + c2 = 1a + b2 + c
{…, 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, …}
PROPERTIES OF MULTIPLICATION
The Number Line
Property of Zero:

a# 0=0
a# 1=aaZ0
–5 –4 –3
–2 –1 0 1 2 3 4 5
Identity Property of One: , when . a # a Z 0
1
Inverse Property: , when .
Negative integers Positive integers

a=1
Zero
Commutative Property:

a# b=b# a
Associative Property:

a # 1b # c2 = 1a # b2 # c
RATIONAL NUMBERS
All numbers that can be written in the form , where a a>b

PROPERTIES OF DIVISION
0
Property of Zero: , when .
and b are integers and . b Z 0

a=0
aZ0

IRRATIONAL NUMBERS
Real numbers that cannot be written as the quotient of two
a
aZ0 a=1
Property of One: , when . 1 = a # 1

integers but can be represented on the number line.

REAL NUMBERS
Include all numbers that can be represented on the number line, that is, all rational and irrational numbers.
a
Identity Property of One: Absolute Value

Real Numbers

Rational Numbers
Irrational
23, 22.4, 21 , 0, 0.6, 1, etc. 4_ 2 5
The absolute value of a number is always ≥ 0. a 7 0 ƒ a ƒ = a
If , .
a60ƒaƒ=a
If , .
Numbers
Integers p 23, 22, 21, 0, 1, 2, 3, p 25VN
3,
-
ƒ -5 ƒ = 5 ƒ 5 ƒ = 5
For example, and . In each case, the
VN2, p, etc.

PRIME NUMBERS
Whole Numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, p Natural Numbers 1, 2, 3, p

answer is positive.

A prime number is a number greater than 1 that has only itself and 1 as factors.
Some examples:
2, 3, and 7 are prime numbers.
COMPOSITE NUMBERS
A composite number is a number that is not prime. For example, 8 is a composite number since
ISBN-13: ISBN-10:
978-0-321-39476-7
0-321-39476-3
90000

8 = 2 . # 2 # 2 = 23
9 780321 394767

1
Key Words and Symbols Addition
The following words and symbols are used for Sum, total, increase, plus
the operations listed. addend addend = sum
 -a # -b = ab
Subtraction
Difference, decrease, minus a
Integers (continued) -b = b
-a
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING WITH
a
NEGATIVES -a # b = -ab -a , b = - b
minuend subtrahend = Product, of, times Division 1-721-62 = 42
difference Multiplication 1-242>1-82 = 3
Some examples: 36 18
or 2 2 36 18
-3 # 5 = -15 a * b, a # b, 1a21b2, ab factor
factor = product
Quotient, per, divided by
a LEAST COMMON MULTIPLE
a b b a>b b a The LCM of a set of numbers is the smallest number that
is a multiple of all the given numbers.
dividend divisor = quotient
For example, the LCM of 5 and 6 is 30, since 5 and 6
have no factors in common.
Order of Operations
GREATEST COMMON FACTOR
1st: Parentheses
The GCF of a set of numbers is the largest number that
Simplify any expressions inside can be evenly divided into each of the given numbers.
parentheses. 2nd: Exponents For example, the GCF of 24 and 27 is 3, since both 24
Work out any exponents. and 27 are divisible by 3, but they are not both divisible
3rd: Multiplication and Division by any numbers larger than 3.
Solve all multiplication and division, working from
left to right.
FRACTIONS
4th: Addition and Subtraction
These are done last, from left to right.

Fractions
For example, number is called the denominator.
27 , 9 = 15 - 6 + 3
15 - 2 # 3 + 130 - 32 , 32 = 15 - 2 #
Fractions are another way to express ADDING AND SUBTRACTING
3+
division. The top num ber of a fraction is
FRACTIONS
called the numerator, and the bottom
= 12 be added or subtracted.
. a b
Fractions must have the same denominator before dZ0 d+ d=a+b
they can
Integers d
, with .

a b
dZ0 d- d=a-b
ADDING AND SUBTRACTING WITH , with .
NEGATIVES
d
2 1 8 3 11
-a - b = 1-a2 + 1-b2 . 3+ 4 = 12+ 12 = 12
-a + b = b - a
more➤ more➤ 2
a - 1-b2 = a + b
Some examples:
If the fractions have different denominators, rewrite them as
equivalent fractions with a common denominator. Then add Fractions (continued)
or subtract the numerators, keeping the denominators the
same. For example, Equivalent fractions are found by multiplying the
numerator and denominator of the fraction by the same
-3 - 17 = 1-32 + 1-172 = -20 -19 + 4 = 4 - 19 = -15 number. In the previous example,
 Rates, Ratios, Proportions, A rate is a comparison of two quantities with different units.
and Percents
RATES AND RATIOS
3=2# 4 4=1# 3
2 1 For example, a car in 2 hours is mov
8 3
3 # 4 = 12 4 # 3 = 12
that travels 110 miles
and .
ing at a rate of 110 miles/2 hours or 55 mph. A ratio
is a comparison of two quantities with the same units.
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING FRACTIONS For example, a class with 23 students has a 23
When multiplying and dividing fractions, a common student–teacher ratio of 23:1 or .
1
denominator is not needed. To multiply, take the
product of the numerators and the product of the PROPORTIONS
c
denominators: b# d = a # c A proportion is a statement in which two ratios or rates are
a
b # d = ac bd equal.
An example of a proportion is the following statement:
To divide fractions, invert the second fraction and 30 dollars is to 5 hours as 60 dollars is to 10 hours.
then multiply the numerators and denominators: b , This is written
c a d
d = b# c = ad 5 hr = $60
a
bc .
10 hr
Some examples:
$30

2 6
5# 7 = 35 3
20 min = x miles
A typical proportion problem will have one
unknown quantity, such as
1 5 2 10 5 1 mile .
12 , 2 = 12 # 1 = 12 = 6 5 60 min
We can solve this equation by cross multiplying as shown:

20x = 60 # 1
REDUCING FRACTIONS
To reduce a fraction, divide both the numerator
x = 60
and denom inator by common factors. In the last .
example, 10
20 = 3
12 = 10 , 2
5 A percent is the number of parts out of
. 12 , 2 = 6
100. To write a per
So, it takes 60 minutes to walk 3 miles.
MIXED NUMBERS
PERCENTS
A mixed number has two parts: a whole number part fractional part. An example of a mixed number is . This
and a 5 cent as a fraction, divide by 100 and drop the percent
3
8
sign. For example,
really represents 3 .
5+ 8 100
, 57% = 57
To write a fraction as a percent, first check to see if the
which can be written as denominator is 100. If it is not, write the fraction as an
3 43
8+ 8 = 8
40 Then the
equivalent fraction with 100 in the denominator. .
 numerator becomes the percent. For example,

5 = 80
4
Similarly, an improper fraction can be written as a .
mixed
100 = 80%
number. For example,
20 3 can be written as , multiply the percent by the
2 To find a percent of a quantity, quantity.
6 3

since 20 divided by 3 equals 6 with a remainder of 2. 3

For example, 30% of 5 is

100 # 5 = 150

. 30
3
100 = 2

Basic Math Review

Decimal Numbers
The numbers after the decimal point represent fractions with denominators that are powers of 10.
The decimal point sep arates the whole number part from the fractional part. 9
For example, 0.9 represents .
10

Place Value Chart

Percents to Decimals and
Decimals to Percents
To change a number from a percent to a decimal, divide by 100 and drop the percent sign:
58% = 58/100 = 0.58.
To change a number from a decimal to a percent, multiply by 100 and add the percent sign:
0.73 = .73 100 = 73%.
s
n
s
d

san
s
s
s

th
s

th
d

*
s

illio
s
n
s
u
dn
s
d
s
s

th

th
d

san
s

th
n

illio
n

sa
n
d
s
d
n

illio
m

illio
o

th
u

sa

re
s
n
s
e

th
dre
n

sa
u
o
n

dre
m
d
o

th
u
o
dn

te
n
o
n

te
d

sau
u
o

th
d

illio

Simple Interest
b
n
m

re
th
u
n
o

th
re
d
n
u
h

te
d
n
u
h
n

te
h
u
h

th
n

te
dn
u
m

9
32760498532689 4 Whole numbers Decimals
Given the principal (amount of money to be borrowed or invested), interest rate, and length of time,
the amount of interest can be found using the formula

I=p# r# t
ADDING AND SUBTRACTING DECIMAL NUMBERS To add or subtract decimal
numbers, line up the numbers so that the decimal points are aligned. Then add or subtract as
usual, keeping the decimal point in the same place.
where
I = interest 1dollar amount2 p = principal
r = percentage rate of interest
For example,
23 - 0.37 =
23.00
.
t = time period
0.37
22.63

MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING DECIMAL NUMBERS To multiply decimal numbers,

multiply them as though they
For example, find the amount of simple interest on a $3800 loan at an annual rate of 5.5% for 5
years:
p = $3800
r = 5.5% = 0.055
t = 5 years
were whole numbers. The number of decimal places in the product is the sum of the number of
decimal places in the factors. For example, is
3.72 * 4.5
2 decimal places

1 decimal place 3.72

4.5
.
I = 13800210.0552152 = 1045
The amount of interest is $1045.

Scientific Notation
16.740
3 decimal places
Scientific notation is a convenient way to express very large or very small numbers. A number in
this form is written as a * 10 1 … ƒ a ƒ 6 10 n
, where and n is an integer. For -1.2 * 10-4 3.62 * 105
To divide decimal numbers, first make sure the divisor is a whole number. If it is not, move the
decimal place to the right (multiply by 10, 100, and so on) to make it a whole number. Then move
the decimal point the same number of places in the dividend.
For example,
0.42 , 1.2 = 4.2 , 12
0.35
example, and are expressed in scientific notation.
To change a number from scientific notation to a number without exponents, look at the power of
ten. If that number is positive, move the decimal point to the right. If it is negative, move the
decimal point to the left. The number tells you how many places to move the decimal point.
For example,
12 4.20 .

3.97 * 103 = 3970 .

The decimal point in the answer is placed directly above the new decimal point in the dividend.
To change a number to scientific notation, move the deci mal point so it is to the right of the first
nonzero digit. If the decimal point is moved n places to the left and this makes the number smaller,
n is positive; otherwise, n is negative. If the decimal point is not moved, n is 0.
For example, 0.0000216 = 2.16 * 10 . -5
more➤

4
Scientific Notation (continued)
MULTIPLYING AND DIVIDING IN SCIENTIFIC NOTATION To multiply or divide
numbers in scientific notation, we can change the order and grouping, so that we multiply or divide
first the decimal parts and then the powers of 10. For example, 13.7 * 10-32 # 12.5 * 1082

= 13.7 * 2.52 # 110 * 10 2

-3 8

= 9.25 * 105 .

Statistics
There are several ways to study a list of data.
Mean, or average, is the sum of all the data values divided by the number of values.
Median is the number that separates the list of data into two equal parts. To find the median, list
the data in order from smallest to largest. If the number of data is odd, the median is the middle
number. If the number of data is even, the median is the average of the two middle numbers.
Mode is the number in the list that occurs the most fre quently. There can be more than one mode.
For example, consider the following list of test scores: {87, 56, 69, 87, 93, 82}
To find the mean, first add:
Measurements
U.S. Measurement Units
in. = inch oz = ounce ft = foot c = cup min = minute mi = mile sec = second hr = hour gal = gallon lb
= pound yd = yard qt = quart pt = pint T = ton

Metric Units
mm = millimeter
cm = centimeter
km = kilometer
m = meter
mL = milliliter
cL = centiliter
L = liter
kL = kiloliter
mg = milligram
cg = centigram
g = gram
kg = kilogram
.
87 + 56 + 69 + 87 + 93 + 82 = 474 Then divide by 6:
U.S. AND METRIC CONVERSIONS
.

The mean score is 79.

474

6 = 79
U.S.
12 in. = 1 ft 3 ft = 1 yd 1760 yd = 1 mi 5280 ft = 1 mi
To find the median, first list the data in order:
56, 69, 82, 87, 87, 93.
Since there is an even number of data, we take the average of 82 and 87:

2 = 169
2 c = 1 pt 1 c = 8 oz 4 qt = 1 gal 2 pt = 1 qt 2000 lb = 1 T 16 oz = 1 lb

Metric
82 + 87

The median score is 84.5.

.

2 = 84.5
1000 mm = 1 m 100 cm = 1 m 1000 m = 1 km 100 cL = 1 L
The mode is 87, since this number appears twice and each of the other numbers appears only
once.

Distance Formula
Given the rate at which you are traveling and the length of time you will be traveling, the distance
can be found by
1000 mL = 1 L 100 cg = 1 g 1000 mg = 1 g 1000 g = 1 kg 0.001 m = 1 mm 0.01 m = 1 cm 0.001 g
= 1 mg 0.01 g = 1 cg 0.001 L = 1 mL 0.01 L = 1 cL
using the formula

d=r# t
where
d = distance r = rate
t = time

5
Geometry
The perimeter of a geometric figure is the distance around it or the sum of the lengths of its sides.
The perimeter of a rectangle is 2 times the length plus 2 times the width:

L
W

P = 2L + 2W
The perimeter of a square is 4 times the length of a side: s

Geometry (continued)
PYTHAGOREAN THEOREM
In any right triangle, if a and b are the lengths of the legs and c is the length of the hypotenuse,
then a2 + b2 = c2.

c
a

CIRCLES
s
Area:

A = p # r2
C=p# d=2# p# r
P = 4s
Area is always expressed in square units, since it is two dimensional.
The formula for area of a rectangle is

A=L# W
.
The formula for area of a square is
A = s2 A = s # s
or .
The area of a triangle is one-half the product of the height and base:

b
 1
A = 2b # h
The sum of all three angles in any triangle always equals 180 degrees.

x
z
y
Circumference:
where d is the diameter, r is the radius, or half the diameter, 22 p 7
and is approximately 3.14 or .

A circle has an angle of 360 degrees.

A straight line has an angle of 180 degrees.

Algebraic Terms
Variable: A variable is a letter that represents a number because the number is unknown or
because it can change. For example, the number of days until your vacation changes every day,
so it could be represented by a variable, x.
Constant: A constant is a term that does not change. For example, the number of days in the
week, 7, does not change, so it is a constant.
Expression: An algebraic expression consists of constants, variables, numerals and at least one
operation. For example,
x+7
is an expression.
x° + y° + z° = 180°
A right triangle is a triangle with a (right) angle. The
Equation: An equation is basically a mathematical sentence indicating that two expressions are
equal. For example,
90°
hypotenuse of a right triangle is the side opposite the right
x + 7 = 18
is an equation.
angle.

hypotenuse

90°

more➤

6
Solution: A number that makes an equation true is a solution to that equation. For example, in
using the above equation, , we know that the statement is true
x + 7 = 18
if x = 11.