Whole Numbers and Integers

Whole Numbers
Whole Numbers are simply the numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... (and so on)

No Fractions!

Counting Numbers
Counting Numbers are Whole Numbers, but without the zero. Because you
can't "count" zero .
So they are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... (and so on).

Natural Numbers
"Natural Numbers" can mean either "Counting Numbers" {1, 2, 3, ...}, or
"Whole Numbers" {0, 1, 2, 3, ...}, depending on the subject.

Integers
Integers are like whole numbers, but they also include negative numbers ...
but still no fractions allowed!

So, integers can be negative {-1, -2,-3, -4, -5, ... }, positive {1, 2, 3, 4,
5, ... }, or zero {0}
We can put that all together like this:

Integers = { ..., -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... }

Example, these are all integers:

-16, -3, 0, 1, 198
(But numbers like , 1.1 and 3.5 are not integers)
The number of coins someone adds to or removes from a jar. If you add three coins to a jar, that
would be represented by a positive value: +3. Removing three coins from a jar would be represented
by a negative value: -3. Since you can only add or remove an entire coin from a jar (not half of or a
third of a coin) integers would always represent the number of coins added or taken.

Name

Numbers

Examples

Whole Numbers

{ 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... }

0, 27, 398,
2345

Counting
Numbers

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

1, 18, 27, 2061

Integers

{ ... -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

... }

-15, 0, 27,
1102

And when you only want positive integers, say "positive integers". It is not only
accurate, it makes you sound intelligent. Like this (note: zero isn't positive or
negative)

Integers = { ..., -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... }

Negative Integers = { ..., -5, -4, -3, -2, -1 }

Positive Integers = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... }

Non-Negative Integers = { 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ... } (includes zero, see?)

Rational and irrational numbers

Rational number
A rational number () is any number which can be written as:

a
b

where a and b are integers and b0. The following numbers are all
rational numbers:

10
1

21
7

1
3

10
20

3
6

We see that all numerators and all denominators are integers. This means
that all integers are rational numbers, because they can be written with a
denominator of 1.
Irrational numbers
Irrational numbers (') are numbers that cannot be written as a fraction
with the numerator and denominator as integers. Examples of irrational
numbers: 2

, 3

3
, 4

1+ 2
3

These are not rational numbers, because either the numerator or the
denominator is not an integer.

Number Line
Writing numbers down on a Number Line makes it easy to tell
which numbers are bigger or smaller.

Negative Numbers (-)

Positive Numbers (+)

(The line continues left and right forever.)

Numbers on the left are smaller than numbers on the right.

Examples:

5 is smaller than 8

1 is smaller than 1

8 is smaller than 5

Numbers on the right are larger than numbers on the left.

Examples:

8 is larger than 5

1 is larger than 1

5 is larger than 8

An Example
Example: John owes $3, Virginia owes $5 but Alex doesn't owe anything, in fact
he has $3 in his pocket. Place these people on the number line to find who is
poorest and who is richest.

Having money in your pocket is positive.

But owing money is negative.
So John has "3", Virginia "5" and Alex "+3" Now it is easy to see that
Virginia is poorer than John (5 is less than 3) and John is poorer than Alex
(3 is smaller than 3), and Alex is, of course, the richest!

Using The Number Line

We can use the number line to help us add. We always move to the right to
add.We can use the number line to help us subtract. We always move to the left
to subtract.
Absolute Value

Absolute Value means to think only about how far a number is from zero.

For example "6" is 6 away from zero, but "6" is also 6 away from zero.
So the absolute value of 6 is 6, and the absolute value of 6 is also 6

Dogmatic Method of Teaching Mathematics

Concept

Advantages of dogmatic method

(i) This method saves time, energy and does not allow students to get involved in unnecessary
thinking.
(ii) It gives exercise to memory and thus helps its growth. Moreover, rigour is quite useful for the
development of the commercial aptitude of the students.

Disadvantages of dogmatic method

This method is unscientific and Unpsychological.
(ii) This method kills the initiative in the students and makes them memorizing machine.

(iii) This method is Unpsychological, since it puts more stress on the subject-matter and not on the
students who are to be taught
(iv) The main object of teaching is to develop certain qualities in the students. The method fails to
achieve that object and so it is not of much use in practical life.
(v) If this method is applied and the students forget the rules they cannot solve a problem.
(vi) The method provides only information and does not allow students to do things independently.
(vii) The method makes the teaching uninteresting and dull and converts the whole atmosphere of
the class into a mechanical atmosphere.
(viii) Through this method, only students with a good memory can make progress. Such of the
students who did have a very strong memory shall not be able to use this method properly as they
would not cram up the rules and memorize the problems.