This section contains 972 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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Whole numbers, counting numbers, natural numbers and integer numbers are all closely related to one another. Counting numbers, as their name implies, compose the set {1, 2, 3,...} (in this symbolism the brackets denote the elements of a set and the end dots denote a continuation of the sequence). Natural numbers are usually defined to be the set of counting numbers with zero added, that is the set {0, 1, 2, 3,...}. Integers numbers constitute the set {... -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3,...}. Various authors have defined whole numbers differently: defining it as equivalent to the set of counting numbers, equivalent to the natural numbers, or to the set of integers. One reason for the various definitions of something as fundamental as whole numbers is most likely due to the fact that mathematics as a science has evolved over time. New number systems were created and previously defined systems and terms were changed or modified. In...
This section contains 972 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) |
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