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Term - GCSE Maths Definition

Reviewed by: Dan Finlay

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Within the GCSE Mathematics course, the word term can have a couple of meanings.

In algebraic work, a term is a single part of an expression; for example, in the expression 3 s squared plus 2 x minus 3 y plus 4, there are four terms which are open parentheses plus close parentheses space 3 x squared comma space plus 2 x comma space minus 3 y and plus 4.

In sequences work, a term refers to a particular number in that sequence; for example, in the sequence 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, ... the 1st term is 3 and the 4th term is 15. The difference between each term is 4, and so the term-to-term rule is 'add 4'.

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Dan Finlay

Reviewer: Dan Finlay

Expertise: Maths Subject Lead

Dan graduated from the University of Oxford with a First class degree in mathematics. As well as teaching maths for over 8 years, Dan has marked a range of exams for Edexcel, tutored students and taught A Level Accounting. Dan has a keen interest in statistics and probability and their real-life applications.

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