In mathematics, “per” usually means division or a ratio of two quantities. For example, “miles per hour” means the number of miles traveled divided by the number of hours it took to travel that distance. Another example is “cost per unit,” which means the cost of a certain quantity of a product divided by the number of units in that quantity.
So, in mathematical terms, “per” is often used to denote a fraction or a ratio of two quantities.
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Does per mean divide by in math?
Yes, in mathematics, “per” can often be interpreted as “divided by” or a fraction bar. For example, “miles per hour” can be written as “miles/hour” or “miles per hour,” where the division symbol “/” represents the operation of dividing miles by hours.
Similarly, “cost per unit” can be written as “cost/unit” or “cost per unit,” where the division symbol “/” represents the operation of dividing the total cost by the number of units.
So, in mathematical terms, “per” can often be used interchangeably with the division symbol “/” to represent the operation of division.
What does the word per mean in rate problems?
In rate problems, the word “per” is used to indicate the relationship between two different units of measurement. For example, in the problem “John can type 40 words per minute,” the phrase “per minute” indicates the rate at which John can type words, and relates the units of “words” and “minutes”.
The word “per” is commonly used in rate problems to indicate a ratio or a fraction, often representing the amount of one quantity for a given amount of another quantity. For instance, “miles per hour” represents the number of miles traveled divided by the time taken in hours, or the rate at which distance is covered.
In summary, in rate problems, “per” is used to indicate the relationship between two different units of measurement, and represents a ratio or a fraction of one quantity with respect to another.
Per in math symbol
In math, the symbol for “per” is typically represented by a forward slash (/) or a horizontal line. The forward slash or horizontal line is often used to indicate division or a ratio of two quantities.
For example, the expression “miles per hour” can be written as “miles/hour” or “miles per hour,” where the forward slash or horizontal line represents the operation of division. Similarly, the expression “cost per unit” can be written as “cost/unit” or “cost per unit,” where the forward slash or horizontal line also represents the operation of division.
In summary, the symbol for “per” in math is typically represented by a forward slash or a horizontal line, which is used to indicate division or a ratio of two quantities.
Conclusion
In mathematics, the word “per” is used to indicate a ratio or a fraction of one quantity with respect to another. It is often represented by a forward slash (/) or a horizontal line, which is used to indicate division or the relationship between two different units of measurement in rate problems. While “per” can sometimes mean multiplication, depending on the context, it does not generally mean addition or subtraction in mathematical terms.
