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EnchantedLearning.com Math Dictionary

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N is for ...

nanometer A nanometer is unit of measure equal to 10 angstroms, which is one billionth (1 x 10-9) of a meter.

natural number The natural numbers (also called counting numbers) are the positive whole numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... . Mathematicians usually include the number zero with the natural numbers.

negative number A negative number is a a number less than zero, like -1, -2, -3/4, etc.

Newton, Isaac Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was an English mathematician and physicist who invented calculus (simultaneously, but independently of Leibniz), formulated the laws of gravitation, investigated the nature of light (he discovered that sunlight is made of light of different colors), and the laws of motion: 1. An object in uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it (the Law of Inertia). 2. A force causes a change in the velocity (acceleration) of an object (F=ma). 3. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton also improved the design of the refracting telescope (using an objective mirror, instead of a lens), and it is now called a Newtonian telescope.

nine Nine is the number between eight and ten. There are nine planets in our Solar System. A nine-sided figure is called a nonagon.

19 nineteen Nineteen is the number between eighteen and twenty. A nineteen-sided polygon is called an enneadecagon.

nonagon A nonagon is a nine-sided polygon.

normal In mathematics, a normal line is perpendicular (at right angles) to the tangent of a curve.

{ } null set The null set is the empty set, a set with no members.

number line A number line is a line in which real numbers can be placed, according to their value. Each point on a number line corresponds to a real number, and each real number has a unique point that corresponds to it. For example, the number 1.5 (1 1/2) corresponds to the point on a number line that is halfway between one and two.

number Numbers tell you "how many" or "how much." Some numbers are -12, 0, 5, 1/2, 1.33333, π, 1600.

numeral A numeral is a symbol for a number. For example, the symbol 2 is the numeral we use to represent the number two. In our base ten numbers, there are 10 numerals, o, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

numerator The numerator is the top number in a fraction.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 numerical order When numbers are in numerical order, they are in order from lowest to highest.

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EnchantedLearning.com Math Dictionary

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Counting

Addition

Subtraction

Multiplication

Division

Number Line

Fractions

Decimals

Rounding

Graphs

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