Which term describes a mathematical phrase that contains variables, numbers, and/or operations and does not contain an equality sign?

• A. Expression
• B. Equation
• C. Formula
• D. Function

Answer: (C)

A mathematical expression is a phrase built from numbers, variables, and operations that does not include an equals sign. It can be a simple number, a variable, or something like 3x + 5, 2y − 7, or (a + b)/4. Expressions are things you can evaluate or simplify, given values for the variables, but they don’t state a relationship or equality.

This is different from an equation, which must have an equals sign and asserts that two expressions are equal, like 3x + 5 = 11. A formula is typically an equation that shows how to compute a value from inputs, such as A = πr^2, while a function describes a rule that assigns each input to a single output, often written with an equals sign like f(x) = x^2 + 1.

So the term that describes a phrase containing variables, numbers, and/or operations with no equality sign is an expression.