What are Rational Numbers

What are Rational Numbers The numbers used for counting are called natural numbers. 1, 2, 3, 4, ------- up to infinite are all natural numbers. If we add 0 to the set of natural numbers, it becomes the set of whole numbers. This means, the set of whole numbers is 0, 1, 2 , 3,. up to infinite are called whole numbers. A set of whole numbers is used for various measurements may it be distance, speed, weight , volume or any other measurement. We observe that every natural number has a successor, which we can get by adding 1 to any given whole number. For instance, successor of 245 is 245 + 1 = 246, successor of 890 is 890 + 1 = 891. Similarly we see that every whole number except 0 has a predecessor, which we can get by subtracting 1 from the given number. As we can see, the predecessor of 45 is 45 1 = 44, predecessor of 900 is 900 1 = 899. Here are some of the properties of whole numbers : 1. Closure Property: If a, b are any whole numbers, then a+ b is also a whole number. We say that whole numbers satisfy the closure property of addition,

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2. Similarly according to the closure property of subtraction, if a , b are any two whole numbers such that a > b, then a b is also a whole number. E.g. if a = 9 and b = 4 , then a b =9 4 = 5. Here we find that a - b is also a whole number. 3. Closure Property of multiplication also holds true, thus we can say that if a and b are whole numbers, then a * b is also a whole number. E.g. if a = 3 and b = 5 then a * b = 3 * 5 = 15 is also a whole number. 4. Closure property does not always holds true for the division operation, which means that if a, b are whole numbers, then a / b is not necessary a whole number. necessary a whole number. 5. Commutative Property of whole numbers holds true of addition and multiplication but not for subtraction and division : It says that if a and b are any two whole numbers then a + b = b + a and a * b = b * a. But we also have a b b a and a / b b /a 6. Additive Identity and Multiplicative Identity : If a is any whole number, then there exists a whole number 0, such that a + 0 = a . Also there exists a whole number 1, such that a * 1 = a. So we can say that 0 is the additive identity and 1 is the multiplicative identity. So we can say that if any number is added to 0, the result is the original number, and if 1 is multiplied to any number, the result is the original number.

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First we check the numbers between 3 and 4 and get (3 + 4 )/2 = 7/2. Also we proceed to find the rational number between 3 and 7/2, we get 3/1 + 7/2 = 6/2 + 7/2 = 13/2 and this search of numbers between two fractions goes again endlessly up to infinite. Thus we conclude again that these rational numbers between two fractions are again infinite. Between two decimal numbers say 1.2 and 1.3, we can again count the numbers 1.21, 1.22, 1.23 , 1.24, 1.25, 1.26, . And we will not be able to stop any where it is again infinite. If we have 2 rational numbers say 2/5 and 4/5 and we want to search 5 rational numbers between these two rational numbers, then we simply multiply the numerator and the denominator of the given rational numbers by any bigger number, which will change them to their equivalent forms. Let us multiply the above given rational numbers by 3, we get: (2 * 3)/ (5 * 3) and (4 * 3)/(5 * 3) Or 6/15 and 12/15. Here 6/15 is equivalent to 2/5 and 12/15 is equivalent to 4/5, so we are now in the position to find the rational numbers between 6/15 and 12/15 as 7/15, 8//15, 9/15, 10/15, 11/15. This process is endless and will not stop at any end.

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