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Rational Numbers

Rational numbers are numbers that can be expressed as fractions where both the numerator and denominator are integers. Some key properties of rational numbers are that they include integers, fractions, and decimals that terminate or repeat. Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed as fractions of integers, such as the square root of 2.

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120 views

Rational Numbers

Rational numbers are numbers that can be expressed as fractions where both the numerator and denominator are integers. Some key properties of rational numbers are that they include integers, fractions, and decimals that terminate or repeat. Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed as fractions of integers, such as the square root of 2.

Uploaded by

edward biwott
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What are Rational Numbers?

The word 'rational' originated from the word 'ratio'. So, rational numbers are
well related to the concept of fractions which represent ratios. In other
words, If a number can be expressed as a fraction where both the
numerator and the denominator are integers, the number is a rational
number.
Rational Numbers Definition

A rational number is a number that is of the form p/q where p and q are
integers and q is not equal to 0. The set of rational numbers is denoted by
Q. Observe the following figure which defines a rational number.

Examples of Rational Numbers

If a number can be expressed as a fraction where both the numerator and


the denominator are integers, the number is a rational number. Some
examples of rational numbers are as follows.
 56 (which can be written as 56/1)
 0 (which is another form of 0/1)
 1/2
 √16 which is equal to 4
 -3/4
 0.3 or 3/10
 -0.7 or -7/10
 0.141414... or 14/99
Types of Rational Numbers

The different types of rational numbers are given as follows.


 Integers like -2, 0, 3, etc., are rational numbers.
 Fractions whose numerators and denominators are integers like 3/7, -6/5, etc., are
rational numbers.
 Terminating decimals like 0.35, 0.7116, 0.9768, etc., are rational numbers.
 Non-terminating decimals with some repeating patterns (after the decimal point)
such as 0.333..., 0.141414..., etc., are rational numbers. These are popularly
known as non-terminating repeating decimals.
How to Identify Rational Numbers?

Rational numbers can be easily identified with the help of the following
characteristics.
 All integers, whole numbers, natural numbers, and fractions with integers are
rational numbers.
 If the decimal form of the number is terminating or recurring as in the case of 5.6
or 2.141414, we know that they are rational numbers.
 In case, the decimals seem to be never-ending or non-recurring, then these are
called irrational numbers. As in the case of √5 which is equal to
2.236067977499789696409173... which is an irrational number.
 Another way to identify rational numbers is to see if the number can be expressed
in the form p/q where p and q are integers and q is not equal to 0.

Example: Is 0.923076923076923076923076923076... a rational number?


Solution: The given number has a set of decimals 923076 which is
recurring and repeated continuously. Thus, it is a rational number.
Let us take another example.
Example: Is √2 a rational number?
Solution: If we write the decimal value of √2 we get √2 =
1.414213562....which is a non-terminating and non-recurring decimal.
Therefore, this is not a rational number. It is an irrational number.
Rational Numbers in Decimal Form

Rational numbers can also be expressed in decimal form. Do you know 1.1
is a rational number? Yes, it is because 1.1 can be written as 1.1= 11/10.
Now let us talk about non-terminating decimals such as 0.333..... Since
0.333... can be written as 1/3, therefore it is a rational number. Therefore,
non-terminating decimals having repeated numbers after the decimal point
are also rational numbers.
Is 0 a Rational Number?

Yes, 0 is a rational number as it can be written as a fraction of integers like


0/1, 0/-2,... etc. In other words, 0/5 = 0, 0/-2 = 0, 0/1 = 0, and so on.
List of Rational Numbers

From the above information, it is clear that there is an infinite number of


rational numbers. Hence, it is not possible to determine the whole list of
rational numbers. However, a few rational numbers can be listed as 3,
4.57, 3/4, 0, -7, and so on. This shows that all natural numbers, whole
numbers, integers, fractions, and decimals (terminating decimals
and recurring decimal numbers) are considered to be rational numbers.
Adding and Subtracting Rational Numbers

For adding and subtracting rational numbers, we use the same rules of
addition and subtraction of integers. Let us understand this with the help of
an example.
Example: Solve 1/2 - (-2/3)
Solution: Let us solve this using the following steps:
 Step 1: As we simplify 1/2 - (-2/3), we will follow the rule of addition and
subtraction of numbers which says that the subtraction fact can change to an
addition fact and the sign of the subtrahend gets reversed. This will make it 1/2 +
2/3
 Step 2: Now, we need to add these fractions 1/2 + 2/3
 Step 3: Using the rules of addition of fractions, we will convert the given
fractions to like fractions to get common denominators so that it becomes easier to
add them. For this, we need to find the LCM of the denominators 2 and 3 which is
6. Then we will convert the fractions to their respective equivalent fractions which
will make them 3/6 + 4/6. This will give the sum as 7/6 which can be written in
the form of a mixed fraction 116116
Multiplying and Dividing Rational Numbers

The multiplication and division of rational numbers can be done in the same
way as fractions. To multiply any two rational numbers, we multiply
their numerators and their denominators separately and simplify the
resultant fraction. Let us understand this with the help of an example.
Example: Multiply 3/5 × -2/7
Solution: Let us solve this using the following steps:
 Step 1: In order to multiply 3/5 × (-2)/7, we will first multiply the numerators
and then multiply the denominators.
 Step 2: In this case, when we multiply the numerators, it will be 3 × (-2) = -6.
 Step 3: When we multiply the denominators, it will be 5 × 7 = 35. Therefore, the
product will be -6/35.
When we need to divide any two fractions, we multiply the first fraction
(which is the dividend) by the reciprocal of the second fraction (which is
the divisor). Let us understand this with the help of an example.
Example: Divide 3/5 ÷ 2/7
Solution: Let us solve this using the following steps:
 Step 1: In order to divide 3/5 ÷ 2/7, we will first write the reciprocal of the
second fraction. This will make it 3/5 × 7/2
 Step 2: Now, we will multiply the numerators This will be 3 × 7 = 21.
 Step 3: Then, we will multiply the denominators, it will be 5 × 2 = 10. Therefore,
the product will be 21/10 or 21102110
Rational vs Irrational Numbers

The numbers which are NOT rational numbers are called irrational
numbers. The set of irrational numbers is represented by Q´.
The difference between rational and irrational numbers can be
understood from the following figure and table given below.

Rational Numbers Irrational Numbers

These are numbers that can


be expressed as fractions of These are numbers that cannot be expressed as
integers. fractions of integers.

Examples: 1/2, 0.75, -31/5, Examples: √5, π, etc.


etc
Rational Numbers Irrational Numbers

They are terminating They are NEVER terminating decimals


decimals. that do not have an accurate value.

They can be non-


terminating decimals with
repetitive patterns of They should be non-terminating decimals with
decimals or recurring NO repetitive patterns of decimals.
decimals. Example: √5 =
Example: 1.414, 414, 2.236067977499789696409173.... has no
414 ... has repeating repeating patterns of decimals
patterns of decimals where
414 is repeating.

The set of rational


numbers contains all- The set of irrational numbers is a
natural numbers, all separate set and it does NOT contain
whole numbers, and any of the other sets of numbers.
all integers.

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