Whole number

whole_number.json

https://arbital.com/p/whole_number

by Joe Zeng Jul 6 2016 updated Jul 6 2016

A term that can refer to three different sets of "numbers that are not fractions".

[summary: An intuitive concept of a number that is not fractional. Depending on the author, the set of whole numbers is defined as either the natural numbers, the natural numbers and [-zero], or the integers.]

A whole number is an intuitive concept of a number that is not [ fractional]. There are three different definitions of the whole numbers, whose usage depends heavily on the author:

  1. The natural numbers.

  2. The natural numbers and [-zero] (in definitions of the [-number_sets] where the natural numbers do not contain zero).

  3. The integers.

The set of whole numbers, when it is separate from the natural numbers and the integers, is usually notated as either $~$\mathbb{N}^0$~$ or $~$\mathbb{W}$~$.

This page is a disambiguation page for three different definitions.

Comments

Eric Bruylant

A whole number is an intuitive concept of a number that is not fractional\. There are three different definitions of the whole numbers, whose usage depends heavily on the author:

This sentence seems unclear/confusing?

Joe Zeng

I'm meaning to write there, "different authors have wildly different conventions about what constitutes a whole number". How could that be made clearer?

Eric Bruylant

hmm.. I did parse that from it, it's maybe fine as-is. I think the thing is "whose" feeling personal, when it's referring to something not owned by a person? I think I'd write something like

"It may refer to one of three distinct mathematical objects, depending on the author:"