1 MathScope .

Mathematics for Engineering and Science Students

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NUMBERS AND THE RULES OF ARITHMETIC

1. NUMBERS

1.1 Introduction

Engineers and Scientists deal in things like size, strength, shape, power, etc. All these are
expressed ultimately in terms of numbers. It follows that Engineering/Science students need
to be familiar with all the rules for combining numbers. Of course, most of the calculations
you have to do in your student career will be done using a calculator or computer and such
devices do not make mistakes. They do however give wrong answers because fingers press
wrong buttons. Whenever you use an automatic device to do some arithmetic always take
great care and examine the answer to make sure there is nothing glaringly wrong.

1.2 Types of Number

Numbers are of three types:-

Integers

.........., -6, -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, .........

Rational Numbers (Fractions)

It is not possible to write these out in a tidy list like integers. A rational number is formed by
dividing one integer into another.

e.g.
1 3 9 1073 73 3
, , , , ,
2 4 9 31 2 1
,
Look at the third and last in the above

9 3
1 and 3
9 1
= =
The rational numbers include the integers.

A rational number is of the form
p
q
where and p q are integers and 0 q = . p is called the
numerator , q is called the denominator.

Irrational Numbers

The third type of number consists of all numbers which cannot be expressed as a rational
number.

For example 2 1.4142135623730950488016887242097..... = .it does not terminate
or have a repeating pattern..
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It is not possible to write 2 in the form
p
q
. Others which you may have already met are
t, e, 3 ,etc.

We can represent all numbers (integers,rationals,irrationals) by points on a straight line.

The distance from the point 0 (in some unit of length) of any point on the line will be a
number. Every point on the line will represent a number which will be either an integer, a
rational number, or an irrational number.The set of all these numbers ( integer,rational and
irrational) is called the set of all real numbers.
Examples

1. -2 is an integer, also a rational number =
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.
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2
1
, also a real number.
2.
3
4
is a rational number also a real number.
3. t = 3.1415926535897932384626433832795.. (the sequence does not
terminate or
have a recurring pattern) is an irrational number, also a real number.
4. 0.125125125.... (the pattern repeating) is a rational number =
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125
999
and also a
real number.
In the next section we look at the rules of arithmetic by which real numbers are combined.

0 -1 -2
- 1 2 3
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2. FUNDAMENTAL RULES OF ARITHMETIC
2.1 Introduction

These are the laws applied to real numbers which govern the operations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, division.
In what follows a, b, c etc represent real numbers

2.2 Communtative Laws

(a) a b b a + = +
(b) ab ba =
[It is common practice when using letters to represent numbers to omit the multiplication
sign,
i.e. means ab a b ]
You may think that this is stating the obvious eg
4 7 7 4 11 or 8 3 3 8 24 + = + = = =
Nonetheless it is one of the basic rules of arithmetic.

2.3 Associative Laws

(a) ( ) ( ) a b c a b c + + = + +
(b) ( ) ( ) ab c a bc =
The brackets indicate the order in which the arithmetic operations are to be carried out.

Eg (3 5) 7 8 7 15 and 3 (5 7) 3 12 15 + + = + = + + = + =
(3 6) 2 18 2 36 and 3 (6 2) 3 12 36 = = = =
2.4 Distributive Laws

(a) ( ) a b c ab ac + = +
(b) ( )( ) a b c d ac ad bc bd + + = + + +
eg 4 (5 3) 4 8 32 and 4 (5 3) 4 5 4 3 20 12 32 + = = + = + = + = .
(5 3)(6 2) 8 8 64 and (5 3)(6 2) 5 6 5 2 3 6 3 2 30 10 18 6 64 + + = = + + = + + + = + + + =
Clearly when doing arithmetic you would evaluate the above expressions the first way rather
than the second way.. The real usefulness of the distributive laws lies ,as you will see later, in
agebra .

Before leaving this section we want to stress the importance of brackets in arithmetic and
algebra.

7 (5 7) 7 12 84 but 7 5 7 35 7 42 + = = + = + =
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2.5 Laws of Signs

(a) a b a b + = ( )
eg.

4 ( 2) 4 2 2
5 ( 7) 5 7 2
+ = =
+ = =
The use of brackets needs to be emphasised again here .You should never write an
expression such as 7 3 + You may think you understand it but it is bad
Mathematics
and what is more your calculator would not understand it.

(b) ( ) a b a b = +
eg 5 ( 6) 5 6 11 = + = . Referred to as ' minus minus equals plus '

(c) ( ) ( ) ( ).( ) a b a b ab + = + =
(d) ( ) ( ) = a b ab
(e)

=
a
b
a
b
(f)
a
b
a
b
a
b
=

=
eg
3 3 3
7 7 7

= =

. It is better to have the minus sign in front of the whole

expression rather than in the numerator or denominator.
Examples
(i) 7 (8 4) 2 ( 5) 7 7 4 10 7 28 10 7 25 + + = + = + =
(ii)
4 (5 (2 6)) 7 ( 2) (3 4) 2 4 (5 ( 4)) ( 14) 7 2
4 1 14 14 32
+ + + = + +
= + + =

(iii)
5 3 (5 7) 8 ( 2) 5 3 ( 2) 16 5 5
6 (4 2 (5 1)) 6 (4 12) 48 48
+
= = =
+

(iv)
(6 8) (3 (9 1)) 2 ( 2) ( 2) (3 8) 4
(3 4 8) (3 2 (3 1)) ( 1) (3 2 4)
( 2) ( 5) 4 14 14
( 1) 11 11 11
+
=
+ + + +
+
= = =

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2.5 Laws of Rational Numbers (Fractions)

(a)
a c ac
b d bd
=
We often write as
a c a c
b d b d
(

(

(b)
a
b
c
d
ad bc
bd
+ =
+
Examples
These two laws frequently give answers that can be simplified

1. First one that cannot be simplified:
3 5 15
7 8 56
=
2. Now one that can be simplified:
3 5 15
7 9 63
= but notice that both
numerator and denominator are divisible by 3 ,
i.e.
15 5 3 5 3
63 21 3 21 3

= =

and
3
1
3
= so that the final answer is
5
21
We call this process cancellation . The 3 in the numerator and the 3 in
the denominator cancel each other out.
Another way of writing this is:
1
3
3 5 3 5 5
7 9 7 9 21
= =
This cancellation process is referred to as putting the answer in its lowest
terms
3.
3 5
2 7
15 40 15 40 15
16 35 16 35 14
= = To achieve this result we noticed that 15 and
35 are both divisible by 5 and 40 and 16 are both divisible by 8 .

4. To understand the law for adding two rational numbers
consider the sum
8 15
20 20
+
Putting this into words we are asking what is eight twentieths plus
fifteen twentieths . This is like asking what is 8 apples plus 15 apples .
Clearly the answer is 23 apples . So the answer to our first question is 23
twentieths which we write of course as
23
20
.
Now consider
2 3
5 4
+ .This time we are asking what is 2 fifths plus 3
quarters and the answer isnt clear because we are adding unlike parts .
To add two rational numbers they need to have the same denominator
so we proceed as follows;

2 2 4 8 3 3 5 15
and
5 5 4 20 4 4 5 20
= = = = hence
2 3 8 15 23
5 4 20 20 20
+ = + = .
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To put this in the form of the rule above

2 3 2 4 5 3 23
5 4 5 4 20
a c ad bc
b d bd
+ +
+ = + = =

5.
1
2
1
6
1 6 2 1
2 6
+ =
+

=
+ 6 2
12
=
8
12
1
1
4 2
4 3

=
2
3
Finally in this section we give the rule for dividing two rational numbers:

(c)
a
b
c
d
a
b
d
c
ad
bc
= =
a
b
c
d
a
b
c
d

(
(
Examples
1.
5
5 2 10
1
2
= =
Dividing by
1
2
is equivalent to multiplying by 2.

2.
3
4
2
3
3
4
3
2
9
8
= =
Dividing by
2
3
is equivalent to multiplying by
3
2
.
Tutorial 1 Do not use your calculator .

1. Express the following in their lowest terms:-

(a)
6
8
(b)
56
21
(c)
131
17
(d)

11
132
(e)
5 (7 9) 3 ( 4) 2
(4 3)(4 2) 3 (7 3)
+
+ +
(f)
5 7 9 3 ( 4 3)
4 3 (4 2 3) (7 3)
+
+ +
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2. Evaluate the following giving your answers as rational numbers in their lowest terms

(a)
1
2
1
4
+ (b)
1
2
1
3
+ (c)
1
8
1
9

(d)
2
3
3
4
+ (e)
3
8
1
3
1
4
+ (f) 1
1
7
2
9
+
(g)
3
4
7
9
(h)
7
8
12
56
(i)
3
4
2
1
2
+
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(j)
7
8
1
2
3
2
+
(k) 4
1
2
7
8
1
4
+
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(l)
3
4
2
3
4
5
+
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