UNIT 1 UNIT 1 • Definitions

Real Numbers — Corrected Definitions

1. Natural Numbers (N) 2 MARKS

Definition: Natural numbers are the simple counting numbers that we use in everyday life to count objects, such as 1, 2, 3, and so on. They always start
from 1 and never include 0 or negative numbers or fractions. This set is denoted by N.
Set: N = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}

2. Whole Numbers (W) 2 MARKS

Definition: Whole numbers are formed when we take all the natural numbers and add the number 0 to them. In other words, whole numbers are natural
numbers plus zero. They do not include fractions or negative numbers. This set is denoted by W.
Set: W = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, …}

3. Integers (Z) 2 MARKS

Definition: Integers are a bigger group of numbers that include all the whole numbers, together with the negative values of the natural numbers. So
integers cover positive numbers, negative numbers, and zero, but still no fractions or decimals. This set is denoted by Z.
Set: Z = {…, −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …}

4. Rational Numbers (Q) 2 MARKS

Definition: A rational number is any number that we can write as a simple fraction p/q, where p and q are both integers and q is never equal to 0. This
means every fraction, and even every whole number (since it can be written over 1), is a rational number. This set is denoted by Q.
Example: 3/4, −5/2, 7 = 7/1

5. Irrational Numbers (Q′) 2 MARKS

Definition: An irrational number is a number that cannot be written as a simple fraction p/q, no matter which integers we try to use for p and q. Its decimal
value goes on forever without ever settling into a repeating pattern. This set is denoted by Q′.
Example: √2, √3, π ≈ 3.14159…

6. Real Numbers (R) 2 MARKS

Definition: Real numbers are formed by putting together every rational number and every irrational number into one big set. In simple words, almost every
number we normally deal with in mathematics, whether it is a fraction, a whole number, or a never-ending decimal, is a real number. This set is denoted by
R.
Formula: R = Q ∪ Q′

7. Terminating Decimal 2 MARKS

Definition: A terminating decimal is a decimal number that comes to a clear end after a certain number of digits following the decimal point; it does not go
on forever. Every terminating decimal represents a rational number.
Example: 1/4 = 0.25, 3/8 = 0.375

8. Non-Terminating Recurring Decimal 2 MARKS

Definition: A non-terminating recurring decimal is a decimal number that continues forever, but one digit, or one group of digits, keeps repeating again and
again in exactly the same pattern without stopping. This type of decimal always represents a rational number.
Example: 1/3 = 0.333… = 0.3

9. Non-Terminating Non-Recurring Decimal 2 MARKS

Definition: A non-terminating non-recurring decimal is a decimal number that goes on forever after the decimal point, but the digits never settle into a
repeating pattern; they keep appearing randomly. This type of decimal always represents an irrational number.
Example: √2 = 1.41421…, π = 3.14159…

10. Radical 2 MARKS

Definition: A radical is simply the root sign, written as ⁿ√, that we place in front of a number to show that we want to find its root, such as a square root or
a cube root. The small number n written before the sign tells us which root to take, and is called the index.
Example: In ³√27, the radical sign is √ and the index is 3.
 11. Radicand 2 MARKS

Definition: The radicand is simply the number or expression that is written underneath the radical (root) sign. It is the actual quantity whose root we are
trying to work out.
Example: In ³√27, the radicand is 27, because that is the number under the root sign.

12. Surd 2 MARKS

Definition: A surd is an irrational root of a rational number; that is, it is a root such as ⁿ√a, where the number a underneath the root sign is rational, but the
value of the root itself cannot be written as an exact fraction and is therefore irrational.
Example: √5, ³√7

13. Monomial Surd 2 MARKS

Definition: A monomial surd is the simplest kind of surd, made up of only a single term written under one root sign, with nothing added to or subtracted
from it.
Example: √3, 2√5

14. Binomial Surd 2 MARKS

Definition: A binomial surd is formed when two terms are joined together by a plus or minus sign, where at least one of the two terms is a surd. The other
term can be another surd or simply a rational number.
Example: 2 + √3

15. Conjugate Surd 2 MARKS

Definition: The conjugate of a binomial surd is another binomial surd that has exactly the same two terms, but the sign joining them is switched from plus
to minus, or from minus to plus. Multiplying a surd by its conjugate removes the root from the expression.
Example: The conjugate of a + √b is a − √b.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 1 — Corrected Definitions

 UNIT 2 UNIT 2 • Definitions

Logarithms — Corrected Definitions

1. Scientific Notation 2 MARKS

Definition: Scientific notation is an easy way of writing a very large or a very small number in a short standard form, a × 10n, where the front part a is
always a number between 1 and 10, and n is an integer that tells us how many places to move the decimal point.

Example: 306,000 = 3.06 × 105

2. Logarithm of a Number 2 MARKS

Definition: The logarithm of a number tells us the power to which a fixed base must be raised in order to get that number. In other words, if raising the
base a to the power x gives us the number y, then x is called the logarithm of y to the base a, and we write it as log base a of y equals x.
Example: 2³ = 8 ⟹ log₂ 8 = 3

3. Common Logarithm 2 MARKS

Definition: A common logarithm is a logarithm that is always worked out using base 10. Because base 10 is used so often, we do not usually bother writing
the base, and we simply write it as log x.
Example: log₁₀(1000) = 3

4. Natural Logarithm 2 MARKS

Definition: A natural logarithm is a logarithm that is worked out using a special number e as its base, where e is an irrational number roughly equal to
2.71828. We write a natural logarithm as ln x instead of showing the base every time.
Example: ln(e) = 1

5. Characteristic 2 MARKS

Definition: The characteristic is simply the whole number part of a common logarithm value, that is, the part of the number that comes before the decimal
point.
Example: In log(23.4) = 1.3692, Characteristic = 1.

6. Mantissa 2 MARKS

Definition: The mantissa is the decimal part of a common logarithm value, that is, the part of the number that comes after the decimal point. The mantissa
is always taken as a positive value, even if the logarithm as a whole is negative.
Example: In log(23.4) = 1.3692, Mantissa = 0.3692.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 2 — Corrected Definitions

UNIT 3 UNIT 3 • Definitions

Sets and Functions — Corrected Definitions

1. Set 2 MARKS

Definition: A set is simply a well-defined and clearly described collection or group of distinct objects, so that anyone looking at it can tell for certain
whether a particular object belongs to it or not. These objects are called the elements or members of the set.
Example: A = {1, 2, 3, 4}

2. Finite Set 2 MARKS

Definition: A finite set is a set in which we can actually count all the elements one by one, and the counting eventually comes to a stop because there is a
last element.
Example: A = {1, 2, 3}

3. Infinite Set 2 MARKS

Definition: An infinite set is a set in which the elements simply cannot be counted completely, because no matter how long we keep counting, the list of
elements never comes to an end.
Example: N = {1, 2, 3, …}

4. Empty Set 2 MARKS

Definition: An empty set, also called a null set, is a set that has absolutely no elements inside it at all. It is written using the symbol ∅ or simply as a pair of
empty curly brackets { }.

5. Singleton Set 2 MARKS

Definition: A singleton set is a set that contains exactly one single element inside it, and nothing more.
Example: {5}

6. Equal Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: Two sets A and B are called equal sets, and we write this as A = B, when both sets contain exactly the same elements as each other, with
nothing extra or missing on either side.

7. Equivalent Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: Two sets A and B are called equivalent sets, and we write this as A ∼ B, when they may contain completely different elements, but the total
number of elements in each set is exactly the same, so n(A) = n(B).

8. Universal Set (U) 2 MARKS

Definition: The universal set is the larger overall set that contains every single element being talked about or considered within a particular problem or
discussion. All other sets in that discussion are drawn from within it, and it is denoted by U.

9. Proper Subset 2 MARKS

Definition: Set A is called a proper subset of set B, written A ⊂ B, when every element found in A is also found in B, but set B still contains at least one
extra element that is not present in A, meaning A and B are not exactly equal.

10. Improper Subset 2 MARKS

Definition: When a set A contains exactly the same elements as set B, so that A is equal to B, then A is still technically counted as a subset of B, but it is
called an improper subset because there is no element of B left out.

11. Power Set (P(A)) 2 MARKS

Definition: The power set of a set A is a new set that is made up of all the possible subsets that can be formed from A, including the empty set and the set
A itself. If the original set A has n elements in it, then its power set P(A) will always contain 2n subsets in total.

12. Union of Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: The union of two sets A and B is a new set that is formed by collecting together every element that appears in A, every element that appears in
B, and every element that appears in both, without repeating any element twice. It is written as A ∪ B.
13. Intersection of Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: The intersection of two sets A and B is a new set that contains only those elements which are common to both A and B at the same time, that
is, elements that appear in A and also appear in B. It is written as A ∩ B.

14. Disjoint Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: Two sets are called disjoint sets when they share absolutely no elements in common with each other, so that A ∩ B always works out to be the
empty set.

15. Overlapping Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: Two sets are called overlapping sets when they share at least one common element between them, but at the same time, neither set is
completely contained inside the other one.

16. Difference of Sets 2 MARKS

Definition: The difference of set A and set B, written as A \ B or A − B, is a new set made up of only those elements that are present in A but are not
present in B at all.

17. Complement of a Set 2 MARKS

Definition: The complement of a set A, written as A′, is a new set made up of all the elements of the universal set U that do not belong to A. In simple
words, it is everything that is left over outside of A, so A′ = U \ A.

18. Cartesian Product 2 MARKS

Definition: The Cartesian product of two sets A and B is a new set that is formed by pairing up every single element a from set A with every single element
b from set B, writing each pairing as an ordered pair (a, b). It is written as A × B.

19. Binary Relation 2 MARKS

Definition: A binary relation from set A to set B is simply any collection of ordered pairs chosen from the Cartesian product A × B; in other words, it is any
subset of A × B.

20. Function / Mapping (f : A → B) 2 MARKS

Definition: A function, also called a mapping, is a special kind of relation that connects set A to set B, with the rule that every single element of A must be
matched to exactly one element of B, no more and no less. It is written as f : A → B.

21. Domain and Codomain 2 MARKS

Definition: For a function written as f : A → B, the starting set A, which contains every input value that the function uses, is called the domain. The set B,
which is where the outputs are allowed to come from, is called the codomain.

22. Range 2 MARKS

Definition: The range of a function f : A → B is the set made up only of the actual output values that are really produced by the function. The range is
always a subset of the codomain, and it may be equal to the codomain or smaller than it.

23. Into Function 2 MARKS

Definition: A function f : A → B is called an into function when its range turns out to be only a part of the codomain, and not the whole of it, so that some
elements of the codomain are never used as outputs (Range ⊂ Codomain).

24. Onto (Surjective) Function 2 MARKS

Definition: A function f : A → B is called an onto function, or a surjective function, when every single element of the codomain is used as an output by the
function, so that the range and the codomain end up being exactly equal (Range = Codomain).

25. One-One (Injective) Function 2 MARKS

Definition: A function is called a one-one function, or an injective function, when different elements chosen from the domain always end up giving different,
separate outputs in the codomain; no two different inputs are ever allowed to share the same output.
 26. Bijective Function 2 MARKS

Definition: A function is called a bijective function when it satisfies both conditions at the same time, that is, it is both a one-one function and an onto
function together.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 3 — Corrected Definitions

 UNIT 4 UNIT 4 • Definitions

Factorization & Algebraic Manipulation — Corrected Definitions

1. Polynomial 2 MARKS

Definition: A polynomial is an algebraic expression made up of terms that involve a variable raised only to whole number powers (0, 1, 2, 3, and so on),
added or subtracted together, and it is generally written in the form P(x) = anxn + … + a₁x + a₀.

2. Degree of a Polynomial 2 MARKS

Definition: The degree of a polynomial is simply the value of the highest power of the variable that appears anywhere in that polynomial.

3. Rational Expression 2 MARKS

Definition: A rational expression is an algebraic fraction written in the form P(x)/Q(x), where both P(x) and Q(x) are polynomials, with the extra condition
that Q(x), the expression in the denominator, must never be equal to zero.

4. Factorization 2 MARKS

Definition: Factorization is the process of breaking down or rewriting a given algebraic expression as a product of two or more smaller, simpler
expressions, which are called its factors.

5. Remainder Theorem 2 MARKS

Definition: The remainder theorem is a simple rule which tells us that if we divide a polynomial P(x) by a simple linear expression of the form (x − a), then,
without doing the full long division, the remainder left over will always be equal to R = P(a).

6. Factor Theorem 2 MARKS

Definition: The factor theorem is a simple rule that tells us that the linear expression (x − a) will be an exact factor of a polynomial P(x) only when
substituting x = a into the polynomial gives a result of exactly zero, that is, P(a) = 0, and this works both ways.

7. Zero of a Polynomial 2 MARKS

Definition: A zero, or root, of a polynomial P(x) is any particular value of x, say x = a, which, when substituted into the polynomial in place of x, makes the
whole expression equal to zero, so that P(a) = 0.

8. H.C.F. (Highest Common Factor) 2 MARKS

Definition: The H.C.F. of two or more polynomials is the common factor of the very highest degree that can divide each of those given polynomials
completely, without leaving any remainder behind.

9. L.C.M. (Lowest Common Multiple) 2 MARKS

Definition: The L.C.M. of two or more polynomials is the common multiple of the very lowest possible degree that each of the given polynomials can divide
into completely, without leaving any remainder behind.
Relation: H.C.F. × L.C.M. = P(x) × Q(x)

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 4 — Corrected Definitions

 UNIT 5 UNIT 5 • Definitions

Linear Equations & Inequalities — Corrected Definitions

1. Linear Equation 2 MARKS

Definition: A linear equation is an equation containing just one variable, in which that variable is raised only to the power 1, and it can always be
rearranged and written in the standard form ax + b = 0, where a and b are real numbers and a is never equal to zero.

2. Identity 2 MARKS

Definition: An identity is a special type of equation that remains true and correct no matter which real number we substitute in place of the variable; it
holds true for every single value, not just for one or two special values.

3. Conditional Equation 2 MARKS

Definition: A conditional equation is an ordinary equation that is only true for one particular value, or perhaps a few particular values, of the variable, and it
becomes false or incorrect for every other value we might try.

4. Extraneous Root 2 MARKS

Definition: An extraneous root is a value that we obtain as a solution while working through the steps of solving an equation, but which, when we go back
and actually check it in the original equation, does not satisfy it and turns out to be a false solution.

5. Absolute Value / Modulus (|x|) 2 MARKS

Definition: The absolute value, or modulus, of a real number x is simply how far that number sits away from zero on the number line, always counted as a
positive distance. This means |x| is equal to x itself when x is zero or positive, but it becomes −x, flipping the sign, whenever x is a negative number.

6. Linear Inequality 2 MARKS

Definition: A linear inequality is a mathematical statement, similar to an equation, but instead of an equal sign it uses one of the inequality symbols <, >,
≤, or ≥ to compare two algebraic expressions in which the variable terms are of degree one.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 5 — Corrected Definitions

 UNIT 6 UNIT 6 • Definitions

Trigonometry — Corrected Definitions

1. Angle 2 MARKS

Definition: An angle is the shape or figure that is formed whenever two straight rays start out from one shared common point and spread out from each
other. That shared starting point where the two rays meet is called the vertex of the angle.

2. Sexagesimal System 2 MARKS

Definition: The sexagesimal system is the common, traditional way of measuring the size of angles, in which one full right angle is divided into 90 equal
parts called degrees (°); each single degree is further divided into 60 smaller parts called minutes (′); and each single minute is divided even further into 60
tiny parts called seconds (″).

3. Radian 2 MARKS

Definition: One radian is defined as the size of the angle that is formed at the very centre of a circle when the arc marked out on the edge of the circle is
exactly equal in length to the radius of that same circle.
Formula: π rad = 180°

4. Standard Position of an Angle 2 MARKS

Definition: An angle is said to be drawn in standard position whenever its vertex, or starting point, is placed exactly at the origin of the coordinate plane,
and its initial (starting) side lies exactly along the positive direction of the x-axis.

5. Quadrantal Angle 2 MARKS

Definition: A quadrantal angle is a special angle, drawn in standard position, whose terminal (ending) side happens to fall exactly on one of the two
coordinate axes, rather than out in the open space of one of the quadrants.

6. Coterminal Angles 2 MARKS

Definition: Coterminal angles are two or more different angles that, even though they may have different sizes or have been rotated a different number of
times, are all drawn in standard position and all happen to end up sharing the exact same terminal (ending) side.

7. Trigonometric Ratios 2 MARKS

Definition: Trigonometric ratios are the values obtained by comparing the lengths of the different sides of a right-angled triangle to each other, with
reference to one chosen acute angle of that triangle. There are six such ratios in total.
Ratios: sin θ, cos θ, tan θ, csc θ, sec θ, cot θ

8. Angle of Elevation 2 MARKS

Definition: The angle of elevation is the angle that is measured going upward, between an imaginary horizontal line straight out from the observer's eye
and the actual line of sight used to look up at an object that is positioned higher than the observer.

9. Angle of Depression 2 MARKS

Definition: The angle of depression is the angle that is measured going downward, between an imaginary horizontal line straight out from the observer's
eye and the actual line of sight used to look down at an object that is positioned lower than the observer.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 6 — Corrected Definitions

 UNIT 7 UNIT 7 • Definitions

Coordinate Geometry — Corrected Definitions

1. Cartesian Plane 2 MARKS

Definition: The Cartesian plane is the flat surface that is created when two number lines, one placed horizontally and called the x-axis, and one placed
vertically and called the y-axis, are drawn so that they cross each other at right angles at a single point called the origin, O(0, 0).

2. Quadrants 2 MARKS

Definition: Quadrants are the four separate regions that the Cartesian plane gets divided into once the horizontal x-axis and the vertical y-axis have been
drawn crossing one another.

3. Ordered Pair 2 MARKS

Definition: An ordered pair is a pair of two numbers, written together in a fixed and specific order as (x, y), which is used to describe exactly where a
particular point is located within the Cartesian plane.

4. Abscissa 2 MARKS

Definition: The abscissa is simply the name given to the first number x inside an ordered pair (x, y), and it tells us the horizontal distance of that point
measured away from the y-axis.

5. Ordinate 2 MARKS

Definition: The ordinate is simply the name given to the second number y inside an ordered pair (x, y), and it tells us the vertical distance of that point
measured away from the x-axis.

6. Distance Formula 2 MARKS

Definition: The distance formula is the rule used for working out exactly how far apart two given points, A(x₁, y₁) and B(x₂, y₂), are from each other when
they are plotted on the Cartesian plane.
Formula: d = √[(x₂ − x₁)² + (y₂ − y₁)²]

7. Midpoint Formula 2 MARKS

Definition: The midpoint formula is the rule used for working out the exact coordinates of the single point that sits precisely halfway between two given
points, A(x₁, y₁) and B(x₂, y₂), on the Cartesian plane.
Formula: M = ((x₁+x₂)/2, (y₁+y₂)/2)

8. Collinear Points 2 MARKS

Definition: Collinear points are a group of points that can all be joined together and are found to sit on one single common straight line, with no point lying
off to the side of that line.

9. Non-Collinear Points 2 MARKS

Definition: Non-collinear points are a group of points that cannot all be joined together on one single straight line; instead, at least one of the points always
lies off to the side, away from the line formed by the others.

PCTB Class 9 Mathematics UNIT 7 — Corrected Definitions