Precalculus Vocabulary

Precalculus gathers ideas from earlier years and adds new ones, so the precalculus vocabulary page is long: unit circle, radian, amplitude, period, identity, vector, polar form, matrix determinant, partial sum, limit. Each term is defined in a few lines and paired with an example you can compute on paper.

When a worksheet problem asks you to “find the reference angle” or “express in polar form,” check the entry to confirm the exact meaning. Before a unit test, print the relevant pages and work down the list, saying each definition aloud. It is a calm way to find gaps before the test finds them for you.

26 words on this page, each with a definition, a figure, a solved example and two quick questions.

Precalculus Vocabulary: the full list

Numbers and Operations

• De Moivre's Theorem
• Polar Form of a Complex Number

Algebra

• Binomial Theorem
• Determinant
• Fundamental Theorem of Algebra
• Inverse Matrix
• Matrix
• Pascal's Triangle
• Rational Root Theorem

Functions and Graphs

• Parametric Equations

Geometry

• Conic Sections
• Dot Product
• Ellipse
• Hyperbola
• Magnitude of a Vector
• Polar Coordinates
• Vector

Trigonometry

• Double-Angle Formulas
• Inverse Trigonometric Functions
• Phase Shift
• Sum and Difference Formulas
• Trigonometric Identities

Probability

• Combination
• Expected Value
• Factorial
• Permutation