Question

I need help with recognizing natural numbers, irrational, and rational

Answer 1

Natural numbers are any whole number excluding 0 (1,2,3,4,5....)

Rational numbers have integers (positive or negative numbers), fractions (1/2,-2/3,3/4), and decimals (.23, .32, or even repeating decimals, that have a pattern, that can go on forever...like 5.444444) They have to be able to be written as a fraction to be a rational number.

Irrational numbers don't include integers or fractions, but they do include decimals that continue forever without a pattern....like pi (3.14159265...) Irrational numbers cannot be written as a fraction.

Answer 2

Irrational numbers are sometimes approximated by fractions - that can get a bit confusing. \(\pi\) is sometimes approximated by \(\frac{22}{7}\) which is close enough for most needs but not accurate. Irrational numbers also include any square root that is not a perfect square. For example \(\sqrt2\).