REAL

NUMBERS
Chemparithi year 10/D
What Are Real numbers are extremely useful in everyday life. That is probably one of the main reasons we all learn how to

The Uses For count and add and subtract from a very young age.
So what are typical examples of using real numbers in a normal day?

Real • Real numbers help us to count and to measure out quantities of different items. So for instance when you ask your
partner how many slices of toast he or she wants for breakfast, you are using real numbers when they reply with their

Numbers? answer.

• In your working life, regardless of what you do for a living, you will still have to use numbers to a degree. Certainly
those working in accounts and other financial related jobs may use real numbers more often but those working in
retail, buying, catering and even publishing will have to use real numbers too. For example, in catering you may have
to ask the client how many sandwiches they need for the event or in publishing you may need to tell an author how
many pages you need their novel to be.

• Even when relaxing at the end of the day in front of the television flicking from one channel to the next you are
using real numbers.

• When ringing your friend for a catch up you will also be inputting real numbers into your phone to give them a call.
What Are The Categories Inside A Real
Number

• Natural Numbers
• Whole Numbers
• Integers
• Rational Numbers
• Irrational Numbers
Natural Numbers

• All positive counting integers starting from 1 up to infinity are part of the number line and are
called natural numbers. Natural numbers are also referred to as counting numbers, as they do not
consist of 0 or negative numbers. They are part of real numbers with only the positive integers;
however, they are not a part of 0, fractions, decimals and negative numbers.
• Ex. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10…
Whole Numbers

• In general, natural numbers are a set of counting numbers starting from 1, and they are also known
as whole numbers when they are combined with 0. In contrast, 0 is an undefined identity,
representing a null result or no result at all. Simply put, whole numbers are numbers that do not
include fractions, decimals or even negative numbers. A whole number consists of positive integers
plus zero. You can also define whole numbers as non-negative integers. Whole numbers are
distinguished from natural numbers by the presence of 0.
• Ex. 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10…
Integers

• The set of positive and negative numbers, including 0, contains integers with no decimal or
fractional parts. Examples of integers are: -7, 0, 9, 52, 86, 89 and 4,573. A set of integers, which is
denoted as Z, includes
• Ex. -3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3
Rational Numbers

• All numbers that can be written in a p/q format, where the denominator q is not equal to 0, are
called rational numbers.
• Types of rational numbers
• Integers such as -4, 0, 8, 100, etc
• Fractions such as 6/9, -3/7, etc., whose numerators and denominators are integers
• Terminating decimals such as 0.97, 0.3416, 0.4737, etc
• Non-terminating decimals such as 0.7777…, 0.121212…, etc., with some repeating patterns after
the decimal point. They are mostly called non-terminating repeating decimals
Irrational Numbers

• Irrational numbers are real numbers that cannot be represented in a fractional format. In other
words, real numbers that are not rational numbers are called irrational numbers. Hippasus, a
Pythagorean philosopher, determined irrational numbers in the 5th century BC. All numbers that
cannot be written in a p/q format are called irrational numbers.
• √2 = 1.41421356237, √5 = 2.2360679775