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Note: All definitions of the word are courtesy of Dictionary.com unless otherwise noted.


A

Adjacent: 1) Close to; lying near    2) Next to; adjoining

Aeneid: an epic in Latin by Virgil; tells the adventures of Aeneas after the Trojan War; provides an illustrious historical background for the Roman Empire

Read the Aeneid online: http://eawc.evansville.edu/anthology/aeneid/book1.htm

Arc: (mathematics) A segment of a circle

Axiom: 1) A self evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim.    2) An established rule, principle, or law.    3) A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument; a postulate.

Axis: 1) A straight line about which a body or geometric object rotates or may be conceived to rotate.    2) (mathematics) a) An unlimited line, half-line, or line segment serving to orient a space or a geometric object, especially a line about which the object is symmetric.    b) A reference line from which distances or angles are measured in a coordinate system.

Polar Axis The fixed reference axis from which the polar angle is measured in a polar coordinate system.

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B

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C

Circle: The set of all points in a plane equidistant from a given point.

Congruent: Having an equal measure.

Consecutive: 1) Following one after another without interruption; successive    2) Marked by logical sequence.

Coordinate: (mathematics) Any of a set of two or more numbers used to determine the position of a point, line, curve, or plane in a space of a given dimension with respect to a system of lines or other fixed reference.

Cubism: A nonobjective school of painting and sculpture developed in Paris in the early 20th century, characterized by the reduction and fragmentation of natural forms into abstract, often geometric structures usually rendered as a set of discrete planes.

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D

Divergence: 1) In biology, the evolutionary tendency or process by which animals or plants that are descended from a common ancestor evolve into different forms when living under different conditions.    2) In math, the failure to approach a limit.

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E

Equiangular: Having all angles the same measure.

Equilateral triangle: A triangle with all sides congruent.

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F

Formula: (mathematics) A statement, especially an equation, of a fact, rule, principle, or other logical relation.

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G

Golden triangle: An isosceles triangle with base angles of 72 degrees and a vertex angle of 36 degrees.

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H

Hexagon: A six sided polygon.

Heptagon: A seven sided polygon.

Hypotenuse: The side of a right triangle opposite the right angle.

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I

Inverse: 1) Something that is opposite, as in sequence or character; the reverse.

Irrational: A real number not expressible as the quotient of two integers.

Isosceles trapezoid: A trapezoid with the un-parallel opposite sides congruent.

Isosceles triangle: A triangle with at least two sides congruent.

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J

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K

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L

Logarithmic: The power to which a base, usually 10, must be raised to produce a given number. If nx = a, the logarithm of a, with n as the base, is x; symbolically, logn a = x. For example, 103 = 1,000; therefore, log10 1,000 = 3. The kinds most often used are the common logarithm and the natural logarithm.

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M

Mean Ratio: The same thing as the golden ratio; see phi. Meristem: The undifferentiated plant tissue from which new cells are formed, as that at the tip of a stem or root.

Musical Ratios: Certain numerical patterns and ratios used by composers.

For more information, see: http://www.mcs.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/R.Knott/Fibonacci/fibInArt.html#music

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N

Nautilus: A cephalopod mollusk of the genus Nautilus, especially N. pompilius, found in the Indian and Pacific oceans and having a spiral, pearly-lined shell with a series of air-filled chambers. Also called chambered nautilus, pearly nautilus.

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O

Oblique: (mathematics) Designating geometric lines or planes that are neither parallel nor perpendicular.

Octagon: An eight sided polygon.

Orthogonal: Relating to or composed of right angles.

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P

Parallelogram: A quadrilateral with both pairs of opposite sides parallel

Pentagon: A five sided polygon.

Phi: (pronounced "feye") 1) The term for the irrational number that is the result of adding one to the square root of five and dividing it all by two.    2) The golden ratio    3) Number represented by Ø    4) Roughly 1.618...(repeats infinitely)

Polar Axis: The fixed reference axis from which the polar angle is measured in a polar coordinate system.

Polygon: A closed plane figure bounded by straight sides.

Primordia: The most rudimentary form or stage of development.

Pythagorean Proposition: (also: identity, theorum, formula, property) the theorem that the square described upon the hypothenuse of a plane right-angled triangle is equal to the sum of the squares described upon the other two sides.

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Q

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R

Rectangle: A quadrilateral with 4 right angles

Recursion: 1) An expression, such as a polynomial, each term of which is determined by application of a formula to preceding terms.    2) A formula that generates the successive terms of a recursion.

Right triangle: A triangle with one right angle.

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S

Scalene triangle: A triangle with no sides congruent.

Similar: Having the same shape, but not necessarily the same measurements or size.

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T

Tangent: Making contact at a single point or along a line; touching but not intersecting.

Trapezoid: A quadrilateral with exactly one pair of opposite sides parallel

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U

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V

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W

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X

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Y

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Z

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