Whole numbers are made up of single digits, not fractions, including decimals; The direct nature of integers makes them a major part of the oldest math a child will ever learn.
The term “whole number” is commonly used in mathematics. It is often defined by what it does not contain: it cannot be a fraction of a number, a percentage, or have a decimal. Although a number like 21.32 has an integer part of 21, this number is not an “integer” because it contains a decimal of 0.32. Integers are also often defined as nonnegative integers, including zero.
Purpose to identify different types of numbers.
Integer numbers.
While defining an integer may seem unnecessary to some, it can make it easier for children to understand the properties of integers. Whole numbers and whole numbers are not the same, but all whole numbers are whole numbers. The difference is that integers include negative numbers, while all integers are non-negative. Zero is neither positive nor negative.
Properties that apply to integers include the “zero-sum property” and the “commutative property.” The zero-sum property states that any integer added to zero is equal to that number, such as 0 + 23 = 23. While the commutative property means that the order does not matter when multiplying or adding two integers; which means that 3 x 4 = 4 x 3 and 3 + 4 = 4 + 3. These are important concepts that can facilitate other mathematical procedures.
different types of numbers
Related to the integers are the “natural numbers”, sometimes called “counting numbers”. These are usually the first numbers children learn. Natural numbers can include zero, although count numbers normally do not; zero is not included as a counting number because it has no value and therefore cannot actually be counted. An integer, a natural number, and a sequence of counting numbers would be something like {1, 2, 3, 4, …}, while integers would also include 0.
The importance of whole numbers
Whole numbers are important when teachers ask students to complete their math answers and for some practical applications. At some point in people’s lives, they usually have to solve some simple math in their heads. For example, someone considering the price of $29.95 for lunch at a restaurant may need to figure out how to tip accordingly. While some customers may want to tip exactly, others simply round up or down to the nearest whole number to determine the tip. Therefore, a fast food restaurant may round $29.95 USD up to $30 USD to determine a simpler tip amount.
Even organizations like the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the US prefer to work with whole numbers rather than decimal values. Individuals can generally round up or down when determining deductions, income, and other amounts when filing tax information with the IRS. Some people only round when it comes to IRS disbursements and round to a whole number when estimating their total taxable income, ensuring the most advantageous number in each case.
People often laugh at the seemingly meaningless use of decimal numbers in statistical reporting, such as the idea that the average family has 2.5 children. Converting this type of value to an integer, since there is no such thing as a child’s 0.5, makes these statistics more useful. It is more meaningful to consider that “the average family has two to three children” instead of an impossible decimal.