Cambridge questions are written in precise mathematical English. If you know exactly what product, difference, justify and estimate ask you to do, you will not lose marks answering the wrong question.
| Term | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| perimeter | The distance all the way round a shape. | 2(l + w) for a rectangle. |
| area | The amount of surface a shape covers. | l × w for a rectangle. |
| volume | The amount of space a solid takes up. | l × w × h for a cuboid. |
| surface area | The total area of all the faces of a solid. | 2(lw + lh + wh) for a cuboid. |
| square centimetre | The area of a square 1 cm by 1 cm. | Written cm². |
| cubic centimetre | The volume of a cube 1 cm on each edge. | Written cm³. |
| hectare | An area of 10 000 m²; a square 100 m by 100 m. | A farm of 40 ha. |
| compound shape | A shape made from simpler shapes joined together. | An L-shape from two rectangles. |
| congruent | Same shape and same size; corresponding sides and angles equal. | Two 6 cm by 4 cm rectangles. |
| perpendicular height | The distance from the base to the opposite vertex, at right angles. | The dashed line in a triangle. |
| base | The side a height is measured from. | The bottom of a triangle. |
| triangle | A three-sided polygon. | Area = ½ × base × height. |
| parallelogram | A quadrilateral with two pairs of parallel sides. | Area = base × height. |
| cuboid | A solid with six rectangular faces. | A cereal box. |
| cube | A cuboid with all twelve edges equal. | A die. |
| face | One flat surface of a solid. | A cuboid has 6. |
| edge | The line where two faces meet. | A cuboid has 12. |
| vertex | A corner where edges meet. | A cuboid has 8. |
| net | A solid opened out flat. | Six rectangles for a cuboid. |
| capacity | How much a container holds. | 1 litre = 1000 cm³. |