Math & Numbers Facts for Kids
Mind-bending number facts
Pascal's triangle is a triangular array of numbers where each number is the sum of the two numbers above it. Hidden inside it are the Fibonacci numbers β add up the shallow diagonals and they appear.
The number line contains integers (whole numbers), rational numbers (fractions), and irrational numbers such as pi and the square root of 2. Together, all of these are called real numbers.
The Celsius temperature scale was set up so that 0Β°C is the freezing point of water and 100Β°C is the boiling point. Anders Celsius, the Swedish astronomer who created it, originally had the scale the other way around.
A googolplex is 10 to the power of a googol β an unimaginably vast number. There is not enough space in the known universe to write it out in full.
Addition is commutative, which means the order of the numbers does not matter: 3 + 5 equals 5 + 3. Multiplication is also commutative, but subtraction and division are not.
A full rotation is 360 degrees. Mathematicians believe this number came from the ancient Babylonians, who observed that the Earth takes approximately 360 days to orbit the Sun.
A matrix is a rectangular grid of numbers used to perform calculations in physics, engineering, and computer graphics. When video game characters move on screen, matrices are doing the maths behind the scenes.
In Roman numerals, placing a smaller number before a larger one means subtraction, so IV means 4 (5 minus 1) and IX means 9 (10 minus 1). This is called the subtractive notation.
A nautical mile is defined as one minute of arc along a line of latitude on Earth, which is about 1,852 metres. This links navigation directly to the geometry of the globe.
Every whole number greater than 1 can be written as a unique product of prime numbers. For example, 12 = 2 Γ 2 Γ 3, and no other combination of primes gives 12.