Though it’s not often thought of, there are many different types of numbers in our daily lives. Everything is considered a real number but it is then divided into 2 categories, the rational numbers and the irrational numbers. For example, the sqaure root of 25 is 5 which is rational because it can be put into a fraction (5/1) While the square root of 5 is has an irrational number as it’s answer because the answer has decimals wihtout any pattern and can not be put into a fraction.

Within the rational numbers, there are integers which are positive and negative numbers without decimals. Whole numbers, which are whole numbers including the number 0, and finally there are natrual numbers which are the numbers we were first taught as children (1,2,3,4… without including 0).

Irrational numbers MUST be non terminating (decimals do not ever end) and they also must be non repeating, meaning there is no pattern within the decimals. A great example of an irrational number is pie! (3.14…)

The reason I chose to do this post on the different types of numbers is because last year, though I remebered some of them, most would slip my mind and I belive they could definitely help me this semester and also help me understand more fully why certain problems are solved in a certain way!