Math & Numbers Facts for Kids
Mind-bending number facts
Standard form (also called scientific notation) expresses very large or very small numbers as a number between 1 and 10 multiplied by a power of 10. The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 1.5 Γ 10ΒΉΒΉ metres.
Natural numbers are the counting numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4 and so on. Whether zero is included depends on the context β in some countries and textbooks it is, in others it is not.
BODMAS (Brackets, Orders, Division, Multiplication, Addition, Subtraction) tells you the order in which to perform operations. Without this rule, the sum 2 + 3 Γ 4 could give either 20 or 14 depending on which step you do first β the correct answer is 14.
Tally marks are grouped in fives β four vertical lines with a diagonal fifth line crossing them β to make counting large numbers easier. This system is used worldwide and dates back thousands of years.
Different types of graphs suit different data: bar charts compare categories, line graphs show change over time, and pie charts show proportions of a whole. Choosing the wrong type of graph can make data misleading.
The square root of a number is the value that, multiplied by itself, gives that number. For example, the square root of 144 is 12 because 12 Γ 12 = 144. Finding a square root is the inverse operation of squaring.
Equivalent fractions have the same value even though they look different: Β½ = 2/4 = 4/8 = 50/100. You can create equivalent fractions by multiplying or dividing both the numerator and denominator by the same number.
A census is a survey that counts every person in a country. The UK has conducted a census every ten years since 1801, using statistics and mathematics to track population changes over time.
The distance between two points on a coordinate grid can be calculated using the formula: d = β((xββxβ)Β² + (yββyβ)Β²). This is simply Pythagoras' theorem applied to a coordinate grid.
After million and billion come trillion (10ΒΉΒ²), quadrillion (10ΒΉβ΅), quintillion (10ΒΉβΈ), and sextillion (10Β²ΒΉ). These names come from Latin prefixes for the numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.