Basic Math Definitions

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The Basic Operations

In basic mathematics there are many ways of saying the same thing. We have collected some of them here

Symbol	Words Used
+	Add, Addition, Sum, Plus, Increase, Total
-	Subtract, Subtraction, Minus, Less, Difference, Decrease, Take Away, Deduct
×	Multiply, Multiplication, Product, By, Times, Lots Of
÷	Divide, Division, Quotient, Goes Into, How Many Times

Division has its own special words to remember.

Let's take the simple problem of dividing 22 by 5. The answer is 4, with 2 left over. Here we illustrate the important words:

Which is the same as:

You calculate the average by adding up all the values, then divide by how many values.

What is the average of 9, 2, 12 and 5?

Add up all the values: 9 + 2 + 12 + 5 = 28

Divide by how many values (there are four of them): 28 ÷ 4 = 7

So the average is 7