GED Math Fact Sheets
GED Math Fact Sheets
FACT
gre·gar·i·ous /ɡrəˈɡerēəs/
(adjective)
others; soc
· fond of the company of
√2x – 5 + 7+ y
12 4
SHEETS
7+ y
√2x – 5 + 124
for the
on·fla·gra·tion
oun)
/ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən/
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Subtraction takes one quantity away from another. For instance, the expression 4-3
means that 3 must be taken away from 4, which results in 1. The result of subtracting
numbers is called the difference.
Unlike addition, the order of the numbers does
Minuend Difference matter; the difference will be different depending
on which number is the minuend and which is the
4-3=1 subtrahend.
Addition Multiplication
a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c a ⋅ (b ⋅ c) = (a ⋅ b) ⋅ c
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
Whole Numbers
These are all of the natural numers, including zero.
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5...
Integers
Integers are positive and negative whole numbers.
• 60% → 60.0% → “two step” → 0.60% → 0.60 → 0.6 Remember: you can si
mplify
g any
• 11% → 11.0% → “two step” → 0.11% → 0.11 a decimal by removin
the
zeroes that appear at
• 0.5% → “two step” → 0.005% → 0.005
end.
There are several real-world uses for percents, decimals, and fractions. Percents are
often used for test scores, leaving a tip at a restaurant, and calculating sales taxes.
Decimals are often used when dealing with money, weight, and length. Fractions
are generally used to divide a total amongst friends, follow a recipe, and tell time.
Multiplication Exponents
2·3 = 2 + 2 + 2 = 6 2 3 = 2·2·2 = 8
The 3 specifies how many times to The 3 specifies how many times to
add 2 to itself. multiply 2 by itself.
Bases that are variables, such as x or y, are treated the same way:
x·x·x·x = x 4
In more complex equations, pay attention to how terms are grouped, because it will affect
the outcome. The order of operations will also determine the outcome.
Base
3 2 Any real number raised to the 0 is equal to 1. It
doesn’t matter if it is a positive number or a
negative number. Any real non-zero number raised
to the power of 0 is equal to 1.
16 = 4 36 = 6 3 343 = 7
This is because 42=16. This is because 62=36. This is because 73=343.
Composite numbers are made up of prime numbers multiplied together. We can see all the
prime factors by creating a prime factorization, which is unique
24 24
4 · 6 or 3 · 8
2·2 2·3 2 · 4
2 · 2
No matter how you slice it, the prime
factorization of 24 is 2 · 2 · 2 · 3.
Some number share factors, called common factors. To determine the common factors
between two numbers, we just need to look at the factors for each number and determine
which are the same. The greatest common factor (GCF) will be the largest of the common
factors.
3 6
6 6
Mixed Number
When you have more than 1 whole split into equal
divisions, this is known as a mixed number.
3
16 (1 whole plus 3/6 of another)
Equivalent Fraction
Equal quantities can be represented with equivalent fractions.
= = 3 =
1 = 6
6 2 12
1
2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 40 50 100
0.50 50%
(ONE HALF) 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 40 80 100 200
1
3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
0.3 33.3%
6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 60 90 120 150
(ONE THIRD)
1
4 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 0.25 25%
(ONE FOURTH)
8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 80 120 160 200
1
5 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 100 150 200 250 0.20 20%
(ONE FIFTH)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
6 0.16 16.6%
12 18 24 30 36 42 48 54 60 120 180 240 300
(ONE SIXTH)
1
7 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
14 21 28 35 42 49 56 63 70 140 210 280 350 0.143 14.3%
(ONE SEVENTH)
1
8 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
16 24 32 40 48 56 64 72 80 160 240 320 400 0.125 12.5%
(ONE EIGHTH)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50
9 0.1 11.1%
(ONE NINTH)
18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 180 270 360 450
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 80 100
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 400 800 1,000 0.10 10%
(ONE TENTH)
1
11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 80 100 0.0909 9.09%
(ONE ELEVENTH)
22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 110 440 880 1,100
1
12 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 80 100 0.83 8.3%
24 36 48 60 72 84 96 108 120 480 960 1,200
1
(ONE TWELFTH)
The greatest common factor (GCF) is the largest number that is a factor of two
or more numbers.
GCF Example
Factors of 15: 1, 3, 5, 15 Factors of 35: 1, 5, 7, 35
There are two steps to follow in order to find the GCF of two numbers:
Step 1 Step 2
List the factors of each number. Mark all common factors.
15: 1, 3, 5, 15 15: 1, 3, 5, 15
30: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 30 30: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 15, 30
The largest factor that 15 and 30 share is 15, which makes 15 the GCF in this case.
Strategy #1
List the multiples of two numbers until you see a multiple appear
in both lists. This shared multiple will be your LCM.
18: 18, 36, 54, 72, 90, 108, 126... The lowest multiple they have in
30: 30, 60, 90, 120, 150... common is 90, so the LCM = 90.
32: 32, 64, 128, 160, 192, 224... The lowest multiple they have in
40: 40, 80, 120, 160, 200, 240... common is 160, so the LCM = 160.
Strategy #2
Use the GCF to find your LCM. First, factor both numbers. Then,
find the product of the GCF and the remaining factors.
Some numbers are only multiples of themselves and 1. We call this a prime number.
In order to find the common multiple that has the lowest value (least common
multiple), multiply the highest powers of all the prime factors together.
Parentheses
Exponents
Multiplication
Division
Addition
Subtraction
22 ⋅ (3 - 1) ÷ 2 + 3 - 6
Parentheses: 22 ⋅ 2 ÷ 2 + 3 - 6 Division: 4 + 3 - 6
Exponents: 4 ⋅ 2 ÷ 2 + 3 - 6 Addition: 7 - 6
Multiplication: 8 ÷ 2 + 3 - 6 Subtraction: 1
Ten Thousands
Thousandths
Hundredths
Thousands
Hundreds
Thousands
Hundred
Millions
Tenths
Ones
3 , 7 1 4 , 9 Tens
2 6 . 5 8 3
(Decimal point)
The place value of a digit increases by ten times as you move to the left on the chart.
As you move to the right, the place value decreases by ten times. This means we can
write out our number in its expanded form, like this:
Another way to visualize place value is by using blocks. The blocks below represent the
number 4,275.
If Rectangle A has a length of 4 units and a width of 3 units, and Rectangle B has
4 8
a length of 8 units and a width of 3 units, the rectangles are not proportional, ≠
3 3
because the ratios of their length and width are not equivalent.
Constant of Proportionality
When both variables increase or decrease at the same rate, they are directly proportional.
EXAMPLE: If you drive your car 75 miles per hour for 300 miles, your distance traveled
and hours spent driving increase at the same rate.
Inverse Proportionality
When one variable increases and the other variable decreases, the variables are
inversely proportional.
EXAMPLE: You are painting a fence, but want to get the job
done more quickly, so you invite a few friends to come help
you. As more people join, the less time it takes to finish
Number of friends =↑ painting. The time it takes to finish the job and the amount of
↑
Time spent = friends you invite to help are inversely proportional.
Percents as Proportions
Percents can be treated as portions of a whole. The ratio of a percent is always the
same “part over whole.” tip
$33.75
EXAMPLE: Your restaurant bill comes to $33.75. 100% = 20%
$6.75 = tip
You received exceptional service, so you want
$33.75 ÷ 5 $6.75
to leave a 20 percent tip. How much do you tip? =
100% ÷ 5 20%
A unit rate describes how many units of the first quantity corresponds to ONE unit
of the second quantity (per one).
EXAMPLE: An 8-pack of 20 oz. sodas ÷ $5.98 = $0.74, or about 75 cents per one bottle
Unit rates are used frequently in our daily lives. For Unit Rate Examples
example, we use unit rates to make price comparisons
at the grocery store to find the best deals. Miles per hour
Meters per second
To find a unit rate when given a rate, identify what two
values are being compared and then use division. Dollars per gallon
Dollars per hour
This is a rate comparing miles to hours. To find the unit rate, calculate “miles per hour.”
75 miles
300 miles ÷ 4 hours =
1 hour
This rate is comparing words to minutes. To find the unit rate, calculate “words per
minute.”
150 words
750 words ÷ 5 minutes =
1 minute
EXAMPLE:
The description of the ratio reveals the order in which the numbers must appear in
the ratio. In this case, the number of girls (3) must appear before the number of
boys (2).
Ratios can be simplified by dividing both values by a common factor. Doing so does
not change the meaning of the ratio. For example, the ratio 9:12 can be simplified to
3:4 because 9 and 12 have a common factor of 3. Dividing 9 and 12 by 3 results in 3
and 4, respectively.
Equivalent ratios are different ratios that have the same value. They can be found by
multiplying or dividing both values in the ratio by the same number.
EXAMPLES:
The ratio 5:10 is equal to 1:2 because 5 and 10 are both divisible by 5.
The ratio 3:5 is equal to 30:50 when 3 and 5 are multiplied by 10.
The ratio 84:36 is equal to 7:3 because 84 and 36 are both divisible by 12.
These steps can also be applied when working with a small number. If you want to change
0.00000055 to scientific notation, change the number to be between 1 and 10 (5.5). Then,
because the decimal was moved 7 places to the right, we multiply by 10-7 to get 5.5·10-7.
Because the exponent is positive, move Because the exponent is negative, move
the decimal to the right the same number the decimal to the left the same number
of times as the exponent (9 times in this of times as the exponent (8 times in this
case). case).
7.38 5.76
becomes becomes
7,380,000,000 0.0000000576
25° 45°
72° 120°
35°
54° 54° 90° 45°