A rational number is a number that can be written as a simple fraction (i.e. as a ratio). Example 1.

5 is a rational number because 1.5 = 3/2 (it can be written as a fraction) Here are some more examples: Number 5 1.75 .001 0.111... 2 (square root of 2) As a Fraction Rational? 5/1 Yes 7/4 Yes 1/1000 Yes 1/9 Yes ? NO !

Oops! The square root of 2 cannot be written as a simple fraction! And there are many more such numbers, and because they are not rational they are called Irrational. Formal Definition of Rational Number More formally we would say: A rational number is a number that can be in the form p/q where p and q are integers and q is not equal to zero. So, a rational number is:

p/q Where q is not zero Examples: p q p/q = 1 1 1/1 1 1 2 1/2 0.5 55 100 55/100 0.55 1 1000 1/1000 0.001 253 10 253/10 25.3 7 0 7/0 No! "q" can't be zero!

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