Matematika itu universal. Angka 1 + 1 = 2 sama di mana pun. Tapi cara membaca dan menulis rumus matematika dalam bahasa Inggris? Itu beda. Banyak pembelajar bisa menghitung, tapi gagal saat harus membaca persamaan di depan kelas atau memahami soal cerita ujian karena tidak tahu istilahnya.
Matematika dalam bahasa Inggris punya kosa kata khusus. Satu istilah salah, seluruh soal bisa salah tafsir. Mari bedah tuntas, dari operasi dasar sampai statistik, lengkap dengan cara baca yang benar.
1. Operasi Dasar (Basic Operations)
Ini fondasi. Wajib hafal di luar kepala.
| Simbol | Istilah | Cara Baca (Verb) | Cara Baca (Hasil/Noun) |
|---|---|---|---|
| + | Addition | Plus / And | The sum of … and … |
| − | Subtraction | Minus / Take away | The difference between … and … |
| × | Multiplication | Times / Multiplied by | The product of … and … |
| ÷ atau / | Division | Divided by / Over | The quotient of … and … |
| = | Equality | Equals / Is / Makes | Equals |
Contoh cara baca:
- 5 + 3 = 8 → Five plus three equals eight. (atau Five and three is eight.)
- 10 − 4 = 6 → Ten minus four equals six. (atau Four taken away from ten leaves six.)
- 7 × 6 = 42 → Seven times six equals forty-two. (atau Seven multiplied by six is forty-two.)
- 20 ÷ 5 = 4 → Twenty divided by five equals four.
- (3 + 5) × 2 = 16 → The sum of three and five, multiplied by two, equals sixteen.
2. Pecahan (Fractions)
Pecahan memiliki aturan baca yang sangat spesifik. Jangan baca 1/2 sebagai one divided by two (itu cara baca operasi). Sebagai angka, baca one-half.
| Pecahan | Cara Baca |
|---|---|
| 1/2 | One-half (atau a half) |
| 1/3 | One-third |
| 2/3 | Two-thirds |
| 1/4 | One-fourth (atau one-quarter) |
| 3/4 | Three-fourths (atau three-quarters) |
| 1/5 | One-fifth |
| 3/5 | Three-fifths |
| 1/10 | One-tenth |
Aturan:
- Pembilang (angka atas) dibaca sebagai bilangan biasa (one, two, three).
- Penyebut (angka bawah) dibaca sebagai bilangan urutan (third, fourth, fifth).
- Jika pembilang lebih dari 1, penyebut ditambah -s (thirds, fourths).
Angka Campuran (Mixed Numbers):
- 1 1/2 → One and a half
- 2 1/4 → Two and one-fourth
- 3 2/3 → Three and two-thirds
Pecahan Desimal:
- 0.5 → Zero point five (atau point five)
- 3.14 → Three point one four (baca digit per digit setelah koma)
- 0.25 → Zero point two five (jangan zero point twenty-five)
Persen:
- 25% → Twenty-five percent
- 100% → One hundred percent
3. Aljabar dan Simbol (Algebra & Symbols)
Inilah bagian yang paling sering bikin pusing karena simbol tidak punya suara sampai Anda membacanya.
| Simbol | Istilah Inggris | Cara Baca |
|---|---|---|
| x (variabel) | Variable | x (eks) |
| x² | Squared | x squared |
| x³ | Cubed | x cubed |
| x⁴ | To the fourth power | x to the fourth (atau x to the power of four) |
| xⁿ | To the nth power | x to the nth (atau x to the power of n) |
| √x | Square root | The square root of x |
| ∛x | Cube root | The cube root of x |
| x⁻¹ | Negative power | x to the minus one (atau reciprocal of x) |
| ≠ | Not equal to | Is not equal to |
| ≈ | Approximately equal | Is approximately equal to |
| < | Less than | Is less than |
| > | Greater than | Is greater than |
| ≤ | Less than or equal to | Is less than or equal to |
| ≥ | Greater than or equal to | Is greater than or equal to |
| ∞ | Infinity | Infinity |
| % | Percent | Percent |
| π | Pi | Pi (dibaca “pai”) |
| ∠ | Angle | Angle |
| ⊥ | Perpendicular | Is perpendicular to |
| ∥ | Parallel | Is parallel to |
| Δ | Delta (perubahan) | Delta x (perubahan x) |
Contoh cara baca:
- x² + y² = z² → X squared plus Y squared equals Z squared. (Teorema Pythagoras)
- √64 = 8 → The square root of sixty-four equals eight.
- x > 10 → X is greater than ten.
- x ≤ 5 → X is less than or equal to five.
- π ≈ 3.14 → Pi is approximately three point one four.
4. Geometri (Geometry)
Bentuk, sudut, dan ukuran dalam bahasa Inggris.
| Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Inggris | Cara Baca/Ucap |
|---|---|---|
| Titik | Point | Point A |
| Garis | Line | Line AB |
| Ruas garis | Line segment | Segment AB |
| Sinar garis | Ray | Ray AB |
| Sudut | Angle | Angle ABC |
| Siku-siku | Right angle | Right angle (90°) |
| Tumpul | Obtuse angle | Obtuse angle (90-180°) |
| Lancip | Acute angle | Acute angle (0-90°) |
| Lurus | Straight angle | Straight angle (180°) |
| Segitiga | Triangle | Triangle |
| Persegi | Square | Square |
| Persegi panjang | Rectangle | Rectangle |
| Lingkaran | Circle | Circle |
| Trapesium | Trapezoid (US) / Trapezium (UK) | Trapezoid |
| Jajar genjang | Parallelogram | Parallelogram |
| Belah ketupat | Rhombus | Rhombus |
| Layang-layang | Kite | Kite |
| Kubus | Cube | Cube |
| Balok | Rectangular prism / Cuboid | Rectangular prism |
| Tabung | Cylinder | Cylinder |
| Bola | Sphere | Sphere |
| Kerucut | Cone | Cone |
| Jari-jari | Radius | Radius (jamak: radii) |
| Diameter | Diameter | Diameter |
| Keliling | Circumference | Circumference |
| Luas | Area | Area |
| Volume | Volume | Volume |
Contoh soal geometri:
What is the area of a rectangle with a length of 8 cm and a width of 5 cm?
(Berapa luas persegi panjang dengan panjang 8 cm dan lebar 5 cm?)
Jawaban: 8 × 5 = 40 square centimeters.
5. Statistik (Statistics)
Istilah statistik sangat penting untuk membaca data, berita, dan penelitian.
| Bahasa Indonesia | Bahasa Inggris | Contoh Penggunaan |
|---|---|---|
| Rata-rata | Mean (atau Average) | The mean is 50. |
| Nilai tengah | Median | The median is 45. |
| Modus | Mode | The most frequent number is the mode. |
| Rentang (maks-min) | Range | The range is 10. |
| Data | Data (jamak, tapi sering dianggap tunggal) | The data shows an increase. |
| Grafik batang | Bar chart / Bar graph | Look at the bar chart. |
| Grafik garis | Line graph | The line graph trends upward. |
| Diagram lingkaran | Pie chart | The pie chart shows percentages. |
| Populasi | Population | The population of the study is 100. |
| Sampel | Sample | A random sample was taken. |
Ingat:
- Average lebih sering dipakai dalam percakapan sehari-hari (nilai rata-rata rapor).
- Mean lebih sering dipakai dalam statistik akademis.
- Jangan tertukar: Median (nilai tengah) vs Mode (nilai paling sering muncul).
6. Cara Membaca Persamaan Panjang (Formulas)
Ini adalah ujian utama. Cara membaca persamaan panjang harus urut dari kiri ke kanan, tapi perhatikan tanda kurung.
Aturan Emas:
- Baca tanda kurung terlebih dahulu (open parenthesis… close parenthesis).
- Baca operasi dalam kurung sebagai satu unit.
Contoh 1:
Formula: (a + b) / c = d
Cara Baca: The sum of a and b, divided by c, equals d.
Contoh 2:
Formula: y = mx + c
Cara Baca: Y equals m x plus c. (atau Y is equal to m times x plus c)
Contoh 3:
Formula: F = 9/5 C + 32
Cara Baca: F equals nine-fifths C plus thirty-two.
Contoh 4 (Canggih):
Formula: Σ (xi – x̄)²
Cara Baca: The sum of the squares of the deviations of xi from x-bar.
(Ini cara baca standar statistik. Jangan panik, istilah ini dipelajari di tingkat universitas).
7. Perbedaan “Number” vs “Digit” vs “Figure”
Sering tertukar. Ini bedanya:
- Number (Angka/Bilangan): Konsep matematika secara keseluruhan. 5, 10, 100.
- Digit (Digit/Angka penyusun): Simbol tunggal 0-9. Angka 125 terdiri dari 3 digit (1, 2, 5).
- Figure (Angka/Statistik): Biasanya dipakai untuk data atau biaya. Unemployment figures rose. (Angka pengangguran naik).
Kesalahan Umum yang Harus Dihindari
- Membaca desimal seperti bilangan biasa
- ❌ 3.14 = Three point fourteen.
- ✅ 3.14 = Three point one four.
- Membaca pecahan seperti pembagian
- ❌ 1/2 = One divided by two. (Ini adalah operasi, bukan angka pecahan).
- ✅ 1/2 = One-half.
- Salah mengucapkan “Square” dan “Squared”
- ❌ Square root dibaca squar root (vokalnya salah, bunyinya /skweər/).
- ✅ X squared (x²) bukan x square (hanya untuk bentuk bangun datar).
- Mengabaikan “The” pada akar kuadrat
- ❌ √25 = Root of 25.
- ✅ √25 = The square root of 25.
- Menyebut “Percent” untuk “Percentage Point”
- Interest rate rose from 5% to 7%. Itu naik 2 percentage points, bukan 2 percent. (Dalam statistik, ini penting).
Ringkasan Cepat (Cheat Sheet)
| Ingin menyebut… | Bahasa Inggris yang tepat |
|---|---|
| 2 + 3 | Two plus three. |
| 10 – 4 | Ten minus four. (atau Four from ten untuk yang lebih tua) |
| 5 x 6 | Five times six. |
| 8 ÷ 2 | Eight divided by two. |
| 1/2 | One-half. |
| 0.75 | Zero point seven five. |
| 10² | Ten squared. |
| 10³ | Ten cubed. |
| √16 | The square root of sixteen. |
| 15% | Fifteen percent. |
| x = 5 | X equals five. |
| x < y | X is less than Y. |
| 25° | Twenty-five degrees. |
| 100 m² | One hundred square meters. |
Proyek Akhir: Baca Persamaan Ini dengan Suara Keras
Coba baca persamaan berikut dengan lantang dalam bahasa Inggris:
- (6 + 4) × 5 = 50
The sum of six and four, multiplied by five, equals fifty. (atau Six plus four, times five, is fifty)
- x² – 2x + 1 = 0
X squared minus two x plus one equals zero.
- √(25 + 11) = 6
The square root of the sum of twenty-five and eleven is six. (atau The square root of thirty-six equals six)
- 1/4 + 1/4 = 1/2
One-fourth plus one-fourth equals one-half.
- A = π r²
Area equals pi r squared. (Baca: pai ar kuadrat)
Matematika adalah bahasa universal, tapi cara membacanya tidak universal. Belajar istilah matematika dalam bahasa Inggris bukan hanya untuk ujian. Ini untuk membaca grafik di koran, memahami resep masakan asing (1/2 cup = half a cup), atau sekadar tidak kagok saat di kasir swalayan bilang “Your total is twenty-four point ninety-nine”.
Hafalkan operasi dasar dan pecahan dulu. Itu 80% kebutuhan sehari-hari. Sisanya, geometri dan statistik, datang saat Anda sudah naik level.
Sekarang, coba lihat rumus di buku fisika atau ekonomi Anda. Coba baca dengan suara keras pakai bahasa Inggris. Jika Anda bisa, selamat—Anda sudah bilingual dalam sains.