Cardinal numbers describe the size of a collection of objects; two such collections have the same (cardinal) number of
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rational number
Any number that can be represented as the quotient of two integers (i.e., the denominator cannot equal zero). The set of rational numbers includes all integers as well as all fractions. In decimal form, rational numbers are either terminating or repeating decimals.
rational number
rational number [′rash·ən·əl ′nəm·bər]
Rational Number
a number that can be expressed in the form of a fraction m/n, where m and η are integers and n ≠ 0. Since an integer m can be expressed as m/1, all integers are rational numbers. The operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division (by nonzero divisors) can always be performed in the domain of rational numbers; thus, the rational numbers form a field. The basic rules of the operations over the rational numbers are given by the formulas
Rational numbers can also be represented in the form of finite decimals or infinite periodic decimals. Every irrational number can be included between two rational numbers, the difference between which can be made arbitrarily small.
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