1.

1 The Real Number System

The real number system is the foundation upon which elementary algebra rests. In this
section, we summarize the most elementary facts about the real numbers as a basis for our
subsequent development of algebra.

Arithmetic and geometric problems involve numbers such as the following:

5, -18, 1.782, 1/3, 7/5, , 2, 97%
These numbers are example of real numbers. Such numbers are not new to you. You
have been using them since your earliest days of grade school arithmetic. Indeed, the
elementary properties of real numbers are usually covered in courses that precede this one. So
rather than in discuss them in detail, we provide in this section only a brief review, excluding
proofs and detailed logical development.
A real number can be written using decimal notation. A real number whose decimal
expression requires only finitely many digits is called a terminating decimal. Here are some
examples of terminating decimals:
-58.354, 12, 0.0000031
A decimal expression that contains infinitely many nonzero digits is called a
nonterminating decimal. Here are some examples of nonterminating decimals:
1/3 = 0.333333 2=1.4142135
The three dots () indicate that the decimal expression continues indefinitely. A decimal
expression that has a repeating pattern, such as 12.247247247, is called a repeating decimal.

Lets now explore in some detail two important subsets of the real numbers , the
integers and the rational numbers.

The set of integers is the subset of real numbers consisting of the counting numbers,
their negatives, and 0. Every integer is indeed a real number since its decimal expression (which
terminates just to the left of the implied decimal point). Here are some examples of integers:
3,0, -17
The set of all integers denoted by I. Since every integer is also a real number, the set I of
integers is a subset of the set R of real numbers.
The integers 1,2,3. are called counting numbers.
A rational number is a real number than can be written as the quotient of two integers
a/b, where b is nonzero. Here are some examples of rational numbers:
5/3, -117/89, -45/7, 5/1
Let a/b be a rational number. Then a is called the numerator and b the denominator.

A real number that is not a rational number is said to be irrational. Examples of

common irrational numbers are and 2. An irrational number has a nonterminating, nonrepeating
decimal expression. Although it is easy to recognize rational numbers, it is often difficult to prove that a
particular real number is irrational.
Reference:

College Algebra and Its Application by Larry Joel Goldstein; Chapter 1: The Real Number System