Algebra 1

Section 1.1

Types of Numbers
Types of Numbers

To begin our investigation into algebra, we must first understand the different types of numbers
that we will deal with, and the properties that these types of numbers will have. The types of numbers
that you are most likely familiar with are counting numbers, 1, 2, 3, 4, ... These are numbers that are
positive, nonzero, and do not have any fraction or decimal. That is to say, counting numbers are whole.

In Algebra 1, we will use more technical names to describe the types of numbers we deal with. The
most common groups of numbers that we will deal with are listed below. It is important to understand
that the same number can be in different groups, and well elaborate more on which groups share
numbers.

1. Natural Numbers: Natural numbers are counting numbers, as described above. Natural
numbers include 1, 2, 3... and the following numbers. The natural numbers can increase forever,
but the smallest natural number is 1.*
2. Integers: The integers include all whole negative and positive number, as well as zero. They
include ... 3, 2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3..., and so on. The integers can increase and decrease forever, so
there is no largest or smallest integer.
3. Rational Numbers: Rational numbers are numbers that can be expressed as a fraction. As
a result, when a rational number is expressed as a decimal, the decimal will either repeat itself
eventually or end after a certain number of digits. 53 , 10
1
, and 2.13131313... are all examples of
rational numbers.

4. Irrational Numbers: Irrational numbers cannot be expressed as a fraction, so they have a

decimal that neither ends nor repeats. A good example of an irrational number is , or pi. The
first few digits of pi are 3.14159265358..., but it goes on forever without ending or repeating.
5. Real Numbers: Real numbers include all rational and irrational numbers. The majority of
numbers that we will deal with in Algebra 1 are real numbers. 5, 0, 2, 35 , 4.111111..., and
are all real numbers.

*In some contexts, the natural numbers may include 0. If this is the case, 0 is the smallest natural
number. Be sure to determine if your teacher or textbook considers 0 to be a natural number.

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Relationships between the types of numbers

You may have noticed that if a number is a natural number, it is also an integer and a rational
number. There are a variety of relationships between the different types of numbers described in the
list below and the image.
1. All natural numbers are integers. This is because integers include all positive whole numbers,
which is exactly what natural number are. However, be careful, not every integer is a natural
number. For example, 5 is an integer but it is not a natural number.
2. Every integer is a rational number. This is because an integer can be turned into a fraction by
using a denominator of 1. For example, 2 is the same as 2 1 . Since any fraction is a rational
number, every integer is a rational number. However, not every rational number is an integer.
For example, 32 is a rational number since it is a fraction, but it is not a whole number, so it
cannot be an integer.
3. No number can be both rational and irrational. The two do not have any numbers in common,
because their definitions completely contradict each other.
4. Every real number is either rational or irrational. This is because any real number can be
expressed as a fraction or a non-repeating decimal, because if the decimal repeated the number
could be made into a fraction! Similarly, every rational number is a real number and every
irrational number is a real number. This is because by definition, the real numbers include all
rational and irrational numbers.

Real Numbers

Rational Numbers Irrational

Numbers

2 Integers
3
-5
5.1616...
Natural Numbers

9.147523615...
1, 2, 3, ...

The image above is a visual representation of the overlap between types of numbers.

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Examples

Here are a few examples to test the concepts provided in this section. Answers can be found on
the following pages.

1. Give an example of a number that is an integer but not a natural number.

2. Which of the following is not rational?

A. 5
B. -3
C. 38
D. 7.89642...

3. Is there a smallest natural number? What about a smallest integer?

4. What is the difference between an integer and a rational number? Can rational numbers be
integers? Are all rational numbers integers?

5. Which group of numbers includes all of the other groups of numbers listed below?
A. Natural numbers
B. Rational numbers
C. Real numbers
D. Integers

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Solutions

These are the solutions to the questions on the previous page

1. Any negative, whole number would be an acceptable answer. For example, 1, 2, 3, .... If you
do not consider 0 to be a natural number, 0 would also be an acceptable answer.

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2. D is the answer, since all of the other numbers can be expressed as a fraction. Notice 5 = 1 and
3 = 31, so both A and B are rational numbers.

3. The smallest natural number is 1 (0 if your instructor counts 0 as a natural number). However,
there is no smallest integer, because subtracting one from any integer results in a smaller integer.

4. What is the difference between an integer and a rational number? Can rational numbers be
integers? Are all rational numbers integers?

5. The answer is C. There are real numbers that are neither integers, natural numbers, nor rational
numbers, such as , but every integer, natural number, and rational number is a real number.