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A.Word.A.Day--congruent

congruent (KONG-groo-uhnt, kuhn-GROO-) adjective

1. In agreement; congruous.

2. Mathematics: a. Having identical shape and size, e.g. congruent triangles.

b. Of or relating to one of the two numbers which when divided by a third number, yield the same remainder. e.g. 8 and 17 both yield a remainder of 2 when divided by 3.

[From Middle English, from Latin congruens, present participle of congruere (to agree).]

"The life-paths of men and women, and to a lesser extent, of black and white Americans, are much more likely to be congruent than at any time in history." Josh Clark, et al, 20 Ways We've Changed, Mother Jones (San Francisco), Jan 11, 1996.

"The language of geometry became a powerful means of communicating ideas through terms that had previously been just words on a textbook page. Other applications to geometry and measurement involved in the crane-folding process included forming congruent triangles..." Elizabeth S. Senger, et al., Mathematical Meaning in Context, Teaching Children Mathematics, Mar 1997.

This week's theme: words from math.

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