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### Unit 6: Lesson 2

Whole numbers & integers

# Whole numbers & integers

Walk through the difference between whole numbers & integers. For example, is the number -8 a whole number? Is it an integer?
First we'll learn about whole numbers, then we'll learn about integers, and we'll finish by thinking about whole numbers and integers at the same time.

## Whole numbers

Whole numbers are the numbers starting at 0 and counting up forever:
left brace, 0, comma, 1, comma, 2, comma, 3, comma, 4, comma, 5, comma, 6, comma, 7, comma, 8, comma, 9, comma, 10, comma, 11, point, point, point, right brace
Key idea: Whole numbers don't include negative numbers, fractions, or decimals.
Is 8 a whole number?

Is 9749 a whole number?

Is minus, 5 a whole number?

Is 9, point, 5 a whole number?

Is start fraction, 5, divided by, 7, end fraction a whole number?

Sweet, let's move onto integers.

## Integers

Integers are just like whole numbers, but they also include negative numbers:
left brace, point, point, point, minus, 5, comma, minus, 4, comma, minus, 3, comma, minus, 2, comma, minus, 1, comma, 0, comma, 1, comma, 2, comma, 3, comma, 4, comma, 5, point, point, point, right brace
Key idea: Like whole numbers, integers don't include fractions or decimals.
Is start fraction, 1, divided by, 3, end fraction an integer?

Is 7 an integer?

Is minus, 9 an integer?

Is 8, point, 6 an integer?

Is minus, 8, point, 6 an integer?

Is minus, 947 an integer?

Is minus, start fraction, 1, divided by, 3, end fraction an integer?

Great, now that we've learned both whole numbers and integers, we're ready to classify numbers.

## Classifying numbers

What type of number is minus, 3?

What type of number is 5, point, 1?

What type of number is 12?

## Challenge problem

Choose the statement that best describes the relationship between whole numbers and integers.

## Want to join the conversation?

• Since 0 is whole number would it be an integer?
• That's right! All whole numbers are integers, so since 0 is a whole number, 0 is also an integer.
• No,integers include all numbers except decimals and fractions
• why aren't decimals whole numbers?
• Decimals are the same as fractions or percentages, for the same reason fractions are not included decimals aren't either.
• What is a fraction if it is not an integer or a whole number? And what is a decimal?
• Fractions and decimals are rational numbers, just like integers and whole numbers.

Hope this helps!
• Is it possible to divide and multiply integers that are negative?
• Yes, we can multiply and divide any integers, except for division by zero. The result will be a rational number.
• Why are negative numbers integers?
• Ok, so 0 is an integer because it's a whole number, but 0 doesn't have an opposite...
• The opposite of 0 is -0, which equals to 0. Just like that the reciprocal of 1 is 1/1 !