DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS

MAT111 INTRODUCTORY MATHEMATICS I

LESSON 1
NUMBER SYSTEMS
Real numbers are used in everyday life to describe quantities such as age, miles per gallon,
and population. Here are some important subsets of the set of real numbers.

1. NATURAL NUMBERS (N)

Natural numbers are the numbers that are used for counting.

N = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, . . .}

2. WHOLE NUMBERS (W)

W = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 4, . . .}

3. INTEGERS (Z)

Z = {. . . , −3, −2, −1, 0, 1, 2, 3, . . .} = {0, ±1, ±2, ±3, . . .}

We have the following classification of integers:

Z+ = {1, 2, 3, . . .} Positive integers

0 The number zero
−
Z = {. . . , −4, −3, −2, −1} Negative integers

4. RATIONAL NUMBERS (Q)

p
Q = { : p, q ∈ Z, q 6= 0}
q
Rational numbers can be expressed as terminating decimals or repeating decimals.
For instance, the numbers
1 1 125 1
= 0.5, = 0.3333 . . . = 0.3̄, = 1.126126 . . . = 1.126, = 0.125
2 3 111 8
are rational.

5. IRRATIONAL NUMBERS (I)

A real number that cannot be written as the ratio of two integers is called irra-
tional. Irrational numbers have infinite non-repeating decimal representations. For
instance, the numbers
√
2 = 1.4142135... ≈ 1.41 and π = 3.1415926... ≈ 3.14

are irrational.
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 6. REAL NUMBERS (R) is the set of all decimals.

I
N W

{0}
Z
R

Z−
Q

Non-integer fractions

Real numbers are represented graphically by a number line. The point 0 on the real
number line is the origin. Numbers to the right of 0 are positive and numbers to the
left of 0 are negative. The term nonnegative describes a number that is either positive
or zero.
THE REAL NUMBER LINE
Negative direction Origin Positive direction
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
There is a one-to-one correspondence between real numbers and points on
the real number line. That is,
 every point on the real number line corresponds to exactly one real number, called
its coordinate, and
 every real number corresponds to exactly one point on the real number line,
Ordering Real Numbers
One important property of real numbers is that they are ordered.
Definition 1 (INEQUALITY SYMBOLS). If a and b are real numbers, then a is less
than b when b − a is positive. This order is denoted by the inequality a < b. This
relationship can also be described by saying that b is greater than a and writing b > a.
The inequality a ≤ b means that is a less than or equal to b, and the inequality b ≥ a
means that is b greater than or equal to a. The symbols <, > , ≤, and ≥ are
inequality symbols.
Geometrically, this definition implies that a < b if and only if a lies to the left of b on
the real number line, as shown below.
a b
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4
a < b if and only if a lies to the left of b.

INTERVALS OF REAL NUMBERS: Inequalities can be used to describe subsets

of real numbers called intervals. Let a, b ∈ R with a < b.
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A. Bounded Intervals on the Real Number Line

(a) Closed interval (Endpoints included in the interval)

[a, b] = {x ∈ R : a ≤ x ≤ b}

a b

(b) Open interval (Endpoints excluded from the interval)

(a, b) = {x ∈ R : a < x < b}

a b

(c) Half-open/half-closed/ interval (Right endpoint excluded)

[a, b) = {x ∈ R : a ≤ x < b}

a b

(d) Half-open/half-closed/ interval (Left endpoint excluded)

(a, b] = {x ∈ R : a < x ≤ b}

a b

B. Unbounded Intervals on the Real Number Line

(a) Closed ray to the right (Endpoint included)

[a, ∞) = {x ∈ R : x ≥ a}

(b) Open ray to the right (Endpoint excluded)

(a, ∞) = {x ∈ R : a < x}

(c) Closed ray to the left (Endpoint included)

(−∞, a] = {x ∈ R : x ≤ a}

(d) Open ray to the left (Endpoint excluded)

(−∞, a) = {x ∈ R : x < a}

a
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 (e) The real number line
R = (−∞, ∞)

LAW OF TRICHOTOMY: Given any two real numbers a and b, precisely one of
three relationships is possible:

a > b, a = b, or a < b. (LAW OF TRICHOTOMY)

Example 2. Give a verbal description of each interval.

1. (−1, 0)
This interval consists of all real numbers that are greater than −1 and less than 0.

2. [2, ∞)
This interval consists of all real numbers that are greater than or equal to 2.

3. (−∞, 0)
This interval consists of all negative real numbers.

4. (−4, 10]
This interval consists of real numbers that are greater than −4 but not more than
10.

Example 3. Use inequality and interval notation to describe the set.

Description of the set Inequality notation Interval notation
x is negative. x<0 x ∈ (−∞, 0)
x is at least 10. x ≥ 10 x ∈ [10, ∞)
x is nonnegative. x≥0 x ∈ [0, ∞).
y is no more than 25. y ≤ 25 y ∈ (−∞, 25]
z is at least 9 and at most 24. 9 ≤ z ≤ 24 z ∈ [9, 24]
y is less than 3 but no less than −1. −1 ≤ y < 3 y ∈ [−1, 3)
z is greater than −2 and at most 5. −2 < z ≤ 5 z ∈ (−2, 5]
The inflation rate is at least 2.5% and at most 5%. 2.5 ≤ r ≤ 5 r ∈ [2.5, 5]

ABSOLUTE VALUE/MODULUS/DISTANCE
The absolute value of a real number is its magnitude, or the distance between the origin
and the point representing the real number on the real number line.

Definition 4 (Absolute Value). If x is a real number, then the absolute value of x,

denoted by |x|, is defined as 
 x, x ≥ 0,
|x| =
−x, x < 0.

Remark 5. The absolute value of a real number is never negative.

Example 6. It follows from the definition that

a. |0| = 0. c. | − 100| = 100 e. |6| = 6.

b. | − 4| = 4. d. |100| = 100 f. | − 1| = 1
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Theorem 7 (Properties of Absolute Value). Let a and b be real numbers and let δ > 0.
Then
1. |a| ≥ 0.
2. |a| = | − a|.
3. |ab| = |a||b|
a |a|
 
4.   = , b 6= 0.
b
 
|b|
5. |a + b| ≤ |a| + |b|. [Triangle inequality]
6. |a| ≤ δ ⇔ − δ ≤ a ≤ δ.
7. |a| ≥ δ ⇔ a ≤ −δ or a ≥ δ.
8. ||a| − |b|| ≤ |a − b|.
Remark 8. Let a and b be real numbers. The distance between a and b is
d(a, b) = |a − b| = |b − a|.
There are four arithmetic operations with real numbers:
1. Addition denoted by the symbol +
2. Multiplication denoted by the symbol × or •
3. Subtraction denoted by the symbol −
4. Division denoted by the symbol ÷ or /
Of these, addition and multiplication are the two primary operations. Subtrac-
tion and division are the inverse operations of addition and multiplication, respectively.
Subtraction:[Add the opposite of b.] a − b = a + (−b)
Division:[Multiply by the reciprocal of b.] If b 6= 0, then
1 a
a/b = a ×
= .
b b
a called the numerator and b is called the denominator.
The primary arithmetic operations satisfy the following basic rules of algebra on
the real number system.
Theorem 9 (BASIC RULES OF ALGEBRA). Let a, b, and c be real numbers.
Commutative Property of Addition a+b=b+a
Commutative Property of Multiplication ab = ba
Associative Property of Addition a + (b + c) = (a + b) + c
Associative Property of Multiplication a(bc) = (ab)c
Additive Identity Property a+0=a=0+a
Multiplicative Identity Property 1a = a = a1
Additive Inverse Property a + (−a) = 0 = (−a) + a
1 1
Multiplicative Inverse Property a. = 1 = .a a 6= 0
a a

Distributive Properties a(b + c) = ab + ac

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 Properties of Negation and Equality. Let a, b, and c be real numbers.
1. (−1)a = −a.

2. −(−a) = a.

3. (−a)b = −(ab) = a(−b).

4. (−a)(−b)b = ab.

5. −(a + b) = (−a) + (−b).

6. If a = b, then a + c = b + c.

7. If a = b, then ac = bc.

8. If a + c = b + c, then a = b.

9. If ac = bc and c 6= 0, then a = b.
Properties of zero.
Let a and b be real numbers.
0
1. a + 0 = a and a − 0 = a. 3. a
= 0, a 6= 0.
a
2. a.0 = 0. 4. 0
is undefined.

5. Zero-Factor Property: If ab = 0, then a = 0 or b = 0.

Properties and Operations of Fractions.
Let a, b, c, and d be real numbers such that b 6= 0 and d 6= 0.
a c
1. Equivalent Fractions: b
= d
if and only if ad = bc.

2. Rules of Signs: − ab = −a
b
= a
−b
and −a
−b
= ab .
a ac
3. Generate Equivalent Fractions: b
= bc
, c 6= 0.
a c a±c
4. Add or Subtract with Like Denominators: b
± b
= b
.

5. Add or Subtract with Unlike Denominators:

a c ad ± bc
± = .
b d bd
a c ac
6. Multiply Fractions: b
× d
= bd
.

7. Divide Fractions:
a c a d ad
÷ = . = , c 6= 0.
b d b c bc
Definition 10. Let a, b, and c are integers.
1. If ab = c, then a and b are said to be factors or divisors of c.

2. A prime number is an integer that has exactly two positive factors: itself and 1.

3. A composite number is an integer that has two or more prime factors.

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 Note that the number 1 is neither prime nor composite.

Theorem 11 (The Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic). Every positive integer greater

than 1 can be written as the product of prime numbers.

Example 12. Evaluate

2 3 2 3
 
1. 15 − = 15. − 15. = 10 − 9 = 1.
3 5 3 5
5 15 5 21 7
2. ÷ = . = .
3 21 3 15 3
2
3
(−2 − 6) 2 5 40
3. = (−8).(− ) = .
− 25 3 2 3
1
5
(−10 + 25) 1
4. = (15).(−3) = −9.
− 13 5
Example 13. Simplify
x 4x 2x + 4x 6x x 2x x 4x + 5x 9x
1. + = = = . 3. + = = .
6 12 12 12 2 5 2 10 10
11 3 11 4 44 12 3 12 8 32
2. ÷ = × = . 4. ÷ = × = .
x 4 x 3 3x x 8 x 3 x