Numbers Study Guide

Whole Numbers

Whole numbers are the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. They do not include fractions or decimals.

Natural numbers are the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. They do not include 0 or negative numbers.

Integers are the set of whole numbers and their negative counterparts, along with zero. For example, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, and so on.

Rational numbers are numbers that can be expressed as a fraction, where the numerator and the denominator are both integers and the denominator is not zero. For example, 3/4, -2/5, 6, and -9 are all rational numbers.

Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed as a fraction. Their decimal representations go on forever without repeating. For example, the square root of 2 (√2) and π (pi) are irrational numbers.

Real numbers include all rational and irrational numbers. They can be plotted on the number line and used in all mathematical operations.

Prime numbers are numbers greater than 1 that have only two factors: 1 and the number itself. For example, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 11 are prime numbers.

Practice identifying different types of numbers using number lines and examples.
Memorize the first few prime numbers to quickly identify them in various problems.
Work on simplifying fractions and understanding the relationship between rational and irrational numbers.