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In mathematics, a rational number is a number that can be expressed as the quotient or fraction of two integers, a numerator p and a non-zero denominator q. [1] For example, is a rational number, as is every integer (for example, ). The set of all rational numbers, also referred to as " the rationals ", [2] the field of ...
Such a number is algebraic and can be expressed as the sum of a rational number and the square root of a rational number. Constructible number: A number representing a length that can be constructed using a compass and straightedge. Constructible numbers form a subfield of the field of algebraic numbers, and include the quadratic surds.
Every real number can be represented as an integer part followed by a radix point (the generalization of a decimal point to non-decimal systems) followed by a finite or infinite number of digits. If the base is an integer, a terminating sequence obviously represents a rational number.
The decimal representation represents the infinite sum: Every nonnegative real number has at least one such representation; it has two such representations (with if ) if and only if one has a trailing infinite sequence of 0, and the other has a trailing infinite sequence of 9. For having a one-to-one correspondence between nonnegative real ...
Every positive rational number can be represented by an Egyptian fraction. Sums of this type, and similar sums also including 2 3 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {2}{3}}} and 3 4 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {3}{4}}} as summands , were used as a serious notation for rational numbers by the ancient Egyptians, and continued to be used by other civilizations ...
A simple fraction (also known as a common fraction or vulgar fraction, where vulgar is Latin for "common") is a rational number written as a / b or , where a and b are both integers. [9] As with other fractions, the denominator (b) cannot be zero. Examples include 1 2 , − 8 5 , −8 5 , and 8 −5 .
A number is rational if it can be represented as the ratio of two integers. For instance, the rational number 1 2 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{2}}} is formed by dividing the integer 1, called the numerator, by the integer 2, called the denominator.
A floating-point number is a rational number, because it can be represented as one integer divided by another; for example 1.45 × 10 3 is (145/100)×1000 or 145,000 /100. The base determines the fractions that can be represented; for instance, 1/5 cannot be represented exactly as a floating-point number using a binary base, but 1/5 can be ...