Key takeaway: Precalculus vocabulary brings together 26 twelfth-grade terms such as inverse trigonometric functions, double-angle formulas, dot product, determinant, ellipse and permutation.
Precalculus prepares students for calculus by sharpening their tools: trigonometric identities, vectors, complex numbers in polar form, matrices and conic sections. This precalculus vocabulary list for Grade 12 defines each of those tools in plain words first, then precisely.
The counting and expected value terms of the course are here too. Open a term to see a diagram and a solved problem.
26 terms on this page, each with a definition, a figure and a worked example.
Precalculus Vocabulary: the full list
Numbers and Operations
- De Moivre's Theorem N-CN.B.5
- Polar Form of a Complex Number N-CN.B.4
Expressions and Equations
- Binomial Theorem A-APR.C.5
- Determinant N-VM.C.10
- Fundamental Theorem of Algebra N-CN.C.9
- Inverse Matrix A-REI.C.9
- Matrix N-VM.C.6
- Pascal's Triangle A-APR.C.5
- Rational Root Theorem A-APR.B.3
Functions and Graphs
- Parametric Equations F-IF.C.7
Geometry and Measurement
- Conic Sections G-GPE.A.3
- Dot Product N-VM.B.5
- Ellipse G-GPE.A.3
- Hyperbola G-GPE.A.3
- Magnitude of a Vector N-VM.A.1
- Polar Coordinates N-CN.B.4
- Vector N-VM.A.1
Trigonometry
- Double-Angle Formulas F-TF.C.9
- Inverse Trigonometric Functions F-TF.B.6
- Phase Shift F-BF.B.3
- Sum and Difference Formulas F-TF.C.9
- Trigonometric Identities F-TF.C.9
Probability and Counting
- Combination S-CP.B.9
- Expected Value S-MD.A.2
- Factorial S-CP.B.9
- Permutation S-CP.B.9