Different Types of Numbers
Different Types of Numbers
According to the properties and how they are represented in the number line, the numbers are
classified into different types. Each classification of number is provided herewith description,
properties, and examples to understand it in a better way. The different types of numbers are as
follows:
Natural Numbers
Natural numbers are also called “counting numbers” which contains the set of positive integers
from 1 to infinity. The set of natural numbers is represented by the letter “N”. The natural
number set is defined by:
N = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ……….}
Examples: 35, 59, 110, etc.
Properties of Natural Numbers:
Whole Numbers
Whole numbers are also known as natural numbers with zero. The set consists of non-negative
integers where it does not contain any decimal or fractional part. The whole number set is
represented by the letter “W”. The natural number set is defined by:
W = {0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ……….}
Examples: 67, 0, 49, 52, etc.
Properties of Whole Numbers:
Integers
Integers are defined as the set of all whole numbers with a negative set of natural numbers. The
integer set is represented by the symbol “Z”. The set of integers is defined as:
Z = {-3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3}
Examples: -52, 0, -1, 16, 82, etc.
Properties of Integers:
Real Numbers
Any number such as positive integers, negative integers, fractional numbers or decimal numbers
without imaginary numbers are called the real numbers. It is represented by the letter “R”.
Examples: ¾, 0.333, √2, 0, -10, 20, etc.
Properties of Real Numbers:
Real Numbers are commutative, associate, and distributive under addition and
multiplication.
Real numbers obey the inverse property.
Additive and multiplicative identity elements of real numbers are 0 and 1, respectively.
Rational Numbers
Any number that can be written in the form of p/q, i.e., a ratio of one number over another
number is known as rational numbers. A rational number can be represented by the letter “Q”.
Examples: 7/1, 10/2, 1/1, 0/1, etc.
Properties of Rational Numbers:
Rational numbers are closed under addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
It satisfies commutative and associative property under addition and multiplication.
It obeys distributive property for addition and subtraction.
Irrational Numbers
The number that cannot be expressed in the form of p/q. It means a number that cannot be
written as the ratio of one over another is known as irrational numbers. It is represented by the
letter ”P”.
Examples: √2, π, Euler’s constant, etc
Properties of Irrational Numbers:
Irrational numbers do not satisfy the closure property.
It obeys commutative and associative property under addition and multiplication.
Irrational Numbers are distributive under addition and subtraction.
Complex Numbers
A number that is in the form of a+bi is called complex numbers, where “a and b” should be a real
number and “i” is an imaginary number.
Examples: 4 + 4i, -2 + 3i, 1 +√2i, etc
Properties of Complex Numbers:
The following properties hold for the complex numbers:
Imaginary Numbers
The imaginary numbers are categorized under complex numbers. It is the product of real
numbers with the imaginary unit “i”. The imaginary part of the complex numbers is defined by
Im (Z).
Examples: √2, i2, 3i, etc.
Properties of Imaginary Numbers:
Imaginary Numbers has an interesting property. It cycles through 4 different values each time
when it is under multiplication operation.
1×i=i
i × i = -1
-1 × i = -i
-i × i = 1
So, we can write the imaginary numbers as:
i = √1
i2 = -1
i3 = -i
i4 = +1
i4n = 1
i4n-1= -i