number:
The Integers and Rational Numbers
To the natural numbers one adjoins their negatives and zero to form the integers. The ratios a/b of the integers, where a and b are integers and b ≠ 0, constitute the rational numbers; the integers are those rational numbers for which b = 1. The rational numbers may also be represented by repeating decimals; e.g., 1/2 = 0.5000 … , 2/3 = 0.6666 … , 2/7 = 0.285714285714 … (see decimal system).
Sections in this article:
- Introduction
- The Natural Numbers
- The Integers and Rational Numbers
- The Real Numbers
- The Complex Numbers
- The Algebraic and Transcendental Numbers
- Bibliography
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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