First Form Mathematics Number Theory Hand-out

Symbol Description
N Set of Natural Numbers – also called the set of Counting Numbers.
N = {1, 2, 3…}
W Set of Whole Numbers −¿ set of natural numbers and zero.
W = {0, 1, 2, 3…}
First Form Mathematics Number Theory Hand-out

Z Set of Integers −¿ set of positive and negative natural numbers and zero.
Z= {…-3, -2,-1, 0, 1, 2, 3…}

Even numbers: consist of natural numbers that can be exactly divided by 2

(multiples of 2).
:are natural numbers ending with digits 0, 2,4,6,8

Odd numbers: consist of natural numbers that cannot be exactly divided by 2.

: are natural numbers ending with digits 1, 3,5,7,9.

Prime numbers: numbers which can only be divided exactly by itself and 1. In
other words, prime numbers have 2 factors only.

: 2 is the only prime number that is also an even number. All other
prime numbers are odd numbers.
First Form Mathematics Number Theory Hand-out

Composite numbers: numbers which have other factors besides itself and 1.
In other words, numbers that have more than 2 factors.

Q Set of Rational Numbers – numbers that can be represented as a fraction.

1 1 2 3
For example: , , , .
4 2 1 4

I ∨Q ' Set of Irrational Numbers – numbers that cannot be written as a fraction.

For example: √ 2 , √3 .

R Set of Real Numbers −¿ union of the set of rational and irrational numbers.
Inclusion relations, for example, N ⊂W ⊂Z ⊂ Q ⊂ R and Q ' ⊂R , so
R=Q∪ Q ' .
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