1) We start with natural numbers which are

N={1,2,3,4,5.},
then
2) Whole numbers which includes one additional number 0 to that of natural numbers
W = {0,1,2,3,.}, it is union of naturals and zero i-e W = NU{0}
3) Next come to the integers, which include additionally the negative naturals to the
whole numbers.
Integers = WU (Negative naturals) = NU{0}U{-1,-2,-3,.} = {,-3,-2,-1,0,1,2,3,}
4) Further extension is the fraction of integers of the form (p / q) such that q should
always be non-zero, such numbers are called the set of rationals.
All these above numbers exist in discrete manner.
But in mathematics there arise the situations where the numbers of the above form fail to
satisfy!!
For example the solution of equation:
x2 2 = 0,
is x = 2 which is of course non of the above. Such kind of numbers are called irrational.
Now come to the situations where the continuous kind of numbers exist to satisfy!!
For example the solution of inequality of the type
x 3;
means all the values which are less than equal to 3
which of course means all the numbers less that or equal to 3 are the solution of this
inequality, which includes all rational and irrational numbers and the combination (union)
of both these are called Real numbers. These numbers are of continuous nature as shown
in the following figure.