Terms Used in Equations

Here are the terms used in equations for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. These terms include augend, addend, sum, subrahend, minuend, difference, multiplicand, multiplier, product, factors, dividend, divisor, quotient, and remainder.

Addition

In addition, an augend and an addend are added to find a sum.
In the following equation, 6 is the augend, 3 is the addend, and 9 is the sum:
6 + 3 = 9
NOTE: Sometimes both the augend and addend are called addends. Sometimes the sum is called the total.

Subtraction

In subtraction, a subtrahend is subtracted from a minuend to find a difference.
In the following equation, 9 is the minuend, 3 is the subtrahend, and 6 is the difference.
9 – 3 = 6

Multiplication

In multiplication, a multiplicand and a multiplier are multiplied to find a product.
In the following equation, 6 is the multiplicand, 3 is the multiplier, and 18 is the product.
6 x 3 = 18
NOTE: Sometimes the multiplicand and the multiplier are both called factors.

Division

In division, a dividend is divided by a divisor to find a quotient.
In the following equation, 18 is the dividend, 3 is the divisor, and 6 is the quotient.
18 / 3 = 6
If there is an amount left over, it is called the remainder. The remainder cannot be evenly divided by the divisor. For example, if you divide 18 by 7, you will get a remainder:
18 / 7 = 2, with a remainder of 4