Is -2 real number, rational number, whole number, Integer, Irrational number?

1 Answer
Apr 23, 2018

Real: Yes
Rational: Yes
Whole: No
Integer: Yes
Irrational: No

Explanation:

Real number? Yes. We can plot this number on a number line, and can be used to show the value of something real.

Rational number? Yes. This number can be expressed as the ratio of two other numbers. For instance:

#-14/7#, #-10/5#, #-22/11#, #-156/78=-2#

The above are all representations of #-2#, thus it is rational.

Whole number? No. Whole numbers are #0, 1, 2, 3# etc, but not #-1, -2, -3#, etc.

Integer? Yes. Going back to our definition of a whole number, integers are essentially the same thing. If we can divide two numbers with no remainder, the result is an integer. #-14/7=-2#, so #-2# is an integer.

Irrational? No. Earlier, we said #-2# is a rational number because we can express it as a ratio of two whole numbers. #pi# is irrational because there are no two numbers you can divide and get exactly #3.141592654...#.

Hope this helps!