Mathematical Vanity Plates
by J. Fred Ettline II in the Mathematics Teacher March 1990
Individuals have found that personalized license plates can serve as a medium of communication to promote their interests.
A pharmacist
orders 4 MU L8,
a judge A JU D K8,
a surgeon KUTR DOC,
a lawyer GR8 DFC,
and a tennis enthusiast 10S N E 1.
As students of mathematics, you will surely want to promote that discipline on your license plate. So, the following are offered as suggestions.
Write the correct word or words that each license is promoting.
Abundant ________ A BUN DNT
Adjacent ________ A J SNT
Acute Angle _____ A QT NGL
Addition ________ ADD I SHN
Addends _________ ADD NS
Algebra _________ AL G BRA
Centimeter ______ CEN T MTR
Collinear _______ CO LN E R
Divisor _________ D VIZ OR
Deviation _______ D V A SHN
Diameter ________ DI AM E TR
Dividend ________ DI VI DND
Difference ______ DI FER NC
Division ________ DI VI ZUN
Do Math _________ DO MTH
Learn Math ______ LRN MTH
Disjoint ________ DS JOINT
Dispersion ______ DS PR SHN
Equality ________ E QAL I T
Equation ________ E QA SHN
Equivalent ______ E QI V LNT
Factor __________ FACT R
Fraction ________ FRAK SHN
Frequency _______ FRE QN CY
Function ________ FUNK SHN
Whole Number ____ HOL NBR
Hexagon _________ HX A GN
Hypotenuse ______ HI PT N USE
Identity ________ I DN TI TY
Improper ________ IM PROP R
Invalid _________ IN VAL ID
Calculate _______ KAL Q L8
Complement ______ KM PLE MNT
Composite _______ KM POZ IT
Congruent _______ KN GRU NT
Concurrent ______ KN CUR NT
Coeficient ______ KO E FS NT
Coordinate ______ KO ORD NT
Corollary _______ KR A LARY
Less Than _______ LES THN
Minuend _________ MIN U ND
Interior ________ N TEAR E R
Integer _________ N TE GER
Infinity ________ 1 DIV 0
Inscribe ________ N SCRIBE
Notation ________ NO TA SHN
Number __________ NUM BR
Numeral _________ NU MR UL
Obtuse Angle ____ OB 22 NGL
Pi R2 _______ PI R SQD
Genius (> 3 sd) _ PLUS 3 STD
Property ________ PROP R TY
Prime Number ____ PRIM NBR
Quotient ________ QUO SHNT
Quartile ________ COR TILE
Radical _________ RAD I KL
Real Number _____ REAL NBR
Right Angle _____ RITE NGL
Square Root _____ SQR RT
Sum Total _______ SUM TOTL
Tangent _________ TAN MAN
Validity ________ V LID I T
Exponent ________ X PO NENT
Formal Proof ____ 4 ML PRUF