Numbers are used to represent quantities of items, and different types of numbers belong to different sets. For example, integers can be used for counting while rational numbers are better used to describe how much of a portion remains.
Identifying types of numbers
Type
Description
Example
Natural
Any positive whole number is a natural number (not including 0)
1,2,5
Integer
Any whole number is an integer (including 0)
0,7,−3
Rational
Any number that can be expressed as a fraction where in its simplest form both the numerator and denominator are integers
716,−31,9
Irrational
Any number that cannot be expressed as a fraction
π,2,317
Real
Any number is a real number
3,4,−53
Prime
Any positive whole number that has only two factors, that being 1 and itself
2,5,13
Square
Any number that can be expressed as the square of a natural number
1,4,16
Cube
Any number that can be expressed as the cube of a natural number
1,−8,27
Surd
Square rooted numbers and can be positive or negative
50,346,−8
Example 1
What type of number is 8.6?
8.6=1086=543
Hence as this is the simplest form and both the numerator and denominator are integers, 8.6 is a rational number.
Subsets of numbers
Some of the definitions of numbers overlap. For instance, 6 falls into the category of a natural number, integer, rational number and also a real number. This gives a subset order for the types of numbers which can be seen below:
From the Venn diagram you can see that all natural numbers are integers, all integers are rational numbers, and all rational and irrational numbers are real.
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Length:
Unit 1
Prime numbers, prime factors and composite numbers
Unit 2
Special types of numbers
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Unit 3
Types of numbers
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FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
How do I determine what type a number is?
Match the number to the definition of the number and then show that the number fits the definition.