Subject: Calculus

Chapter 1: Real Number System

Lesson 1: Real Number System
Learning Objectives:
1. Classify a real number as natural, whole, integer, rational or irrational number.

Discussion:
Real Number is any number that can be represented on a number line.

Source: (https://courses.lumenlearning.com/collegealgebra2017/chapter/introduction-to-real-
numbers/)

Real Numbers

Because of the evolution of the number system, we can now perform complex calculations
using several categories of real numbers. In this section, we will explore sets of numbers,
perform calculations with different kinds of numbers, and begin to learn about the use of
numbers in algebraic expressions.

Rational Numbers

The numbers we use for counting, or enumerating items, are the natural numbers:
and so on. We describe them in set notation as where the ellipsis
indicates that the numbers continue to infinity. The natural numbers are, of course, also
called the counting numbers. Any time we enumerate the members of a team, count the coins

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
in a collection, or tally the trees in a grove, we are using the set of natural numbers. The set
of whole numbers is the set of natural numbers plus zero: .

The set of integers adds the opposites of the natural numbers to the set of whole numbers:
. It is useful to note that the set of integers is made up of three
distinct subsets: negative integers, zero, and positive integers. In this sense, the positive
integers are just the natural numbers. Another way to think about it is that the natural
numbers are a subset of the integers.

negative integers, zero, positive integers:

The set of rational numbers is written as { }. Notice

from the definition that rational numbers are fractions (or quotients) containing integers in
both the numerator and the denominator, and the denominator is never . We can also see
that every natural number, whole number, and integer is a rational number with a
denominator of .

Because they are fractions, any rational number can also be expressed in decimal form. Any
rational number can be represented as either:

1. a terminating decimal: or
2. a repeating decimal: ̅̅̅̅

Irrational Numbers

At some point in the ancient past, someone discovered that not all numbers are rational
numbers. A builder, for instance, may have found that the diagonal of a square with unit sides
was not or even , but was something else. Or a garment maker might have observed that
the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a roll of cloth was a little bit more than , but
still not a rational number. Such numbers are said to be irrational because they cannot be
written as fractions. These numbers make up the set of irrational numbers. Irrational
numbers cannot be expressed as a fraction of two integers. It is impossible to describe this set
of numbers by a single rule except to say that a number is irrational if it is not rational. So we
write this as shown.

Real Numbers

Given any number , we know that is either rational or irrational. It cannot be both. The
sets of rational and irrational numbers together make up the set of real numbers. As we saw
with integers, the real numbers can be divided into three subsets: negative real numbers, zero,
LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS
Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
and positive real numbers. Each subset includes fractions, decimals, and irrational numbers
according to their algebraic sign . Zero is considered neither positive nor negative.

The real numbers can be visualized on a horizontal number line with an arbitrary point
chosen as , with negative numbers to the left of and positive numbers to the right of . A
fixed unit distance is then used to mark off each integer (or other basic value) on either side
of . Any real number corresponds to a unique position on the number line. The converse is
also true: Each location on the number line corresponds to exactly one real number. This is
known as a one-to-one correspondence. We refer to this as the real number line.

The real number line

Sets of Numbers as Subsets

Beginning with the natural numbers, we have expanded each set to form a larger set, meaning
that there is a subset relationship between the sets of numbers we have encountered so far.
These relationships become more obvious when seen as a diagram.

: the set of natural numbers

: the set of whole numbers
: the set of integers
: the set of rational numbers

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
 : the set of irrational numbers

A GENERAL NOTE: SETS OF NUMBERS

The set of natural numbers includes the numbers used for counting:
The set of whole numbers is the set of natural numbers plus zero:
The set of integers adds the negative natural numbers to the set of whole
numbers:
The set of rational numbers includes fractions written as
{ }
The set of irrational numbers is the set of numbers that are not rational, are nonrepeating,
and are nonterminating:

Properties of Real Numbers

When we multiply a number by itself, we square it or raise it to a power of . For

example, . We can raise any number to any power. In general,
the exponential notation means that the number or variable is used as a factor times.

In this notation, is read as the th power of , where is called the base and is called
the exponent. A term in exponential notation may be part of a mathematical expression,
which is a combination of numbers and operations. For example, is a
mathematical expression.

To evaluate a mathematical expression, we perform the various operations. However, we do

not perform them in any random order. We use the order of operations. This is a sequence
of rules for evaluating such expressions.

Recall that in mathematics we use parentheses , brackets , and braces to group

numbers and expressions so that anything appearing within the symbols is treated as a unit.
Additionally, fraction bars, radicals, and absolute value bars are treated as grouping symbols.
When evaluating a mathematical expression, begin by simplifying expressions within
grouping symbols.

The next step is to address any exponents or radicals. Afterward, perform multiplication and
division from left to right and finally addition and subtraction from left to right.

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
A General Note: Order of Operations

Operations in mathematical expressions must be evaluated in a systematic order, which can

be simplified using the acronym PEMDAS:

P(arentheses)
E(xponents)
M(ultiplication) and
D(ivision)
A(ddition) and
S(ubtraction)

How To: Given a Mathematical Expression, Simplify it Using the Order 0f Operations.

1. Simplify any expressions within grouping symbols.

2. Simplify any expressions containing exponents or radicals.
3. Perform any multiplication and division in order, from left to right.
4. Perform any addition and subtraction in order, from left to right.

Using Properties of Real Numbers

For some activities we perform, the order of certain operations does not matter, but the order
of other operations does. For example, it does not make a difference if we put on the right
shoe before the left or vice-versa. However, it does matter whether we put on shoes or socks
first. The same thing is true for operations in mathematics.

Commutative Property

The commutative property of addition states that numbers may be added in any order
without affecting the sum.

We can better see this relationship when using real numbers.

and

Similarly, the commutative property of multiplication states that numbers may be

multiplied in any order without affecting the product.

Again, consider an example with real numbers.

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
 and

It is important to note that neither subtraction nor division is commutative. For

example, is not the same as . Similarly, .

Associative Property

The associative property of multiplication tells us that it does not matter how we group
numbers when multiplying. We can move the grouping symbols to make the calculation
easier, and the product remains the same.

Consider this example.

and

The associative property of addition tells us that numbers may be grouped differently
without affecting the sum.

This property can be especially helpful when dealing with negative integers. Consider this
example.

and

Are subtraction and division associative? Review these examples.

As we can see, neither subtraction nor division is associative.

Distributive Property

The distributive property states that the product of a factor times a sum is the sum of the
factor times each term in the sum.

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
This property combines both addition and multiplication (and is the only property to do so).
Let us consider an example.

Note that is outside the grouping symbols, so we distribute the by multiplying it by ,

multiplying it by – , and adding the products.

Identity Property

The identity property of addition states that there is a unique number, called the additive
identity (0) that, when added to a number, results in the original number.

The identity property of multiplication states that there is a unique number, called the
multiplicative identity (1) that, when multiplied by a number, results in the original number.

For example, we have and . There are no exceptions for these

properties; they work for every real number, including and .

Inverse Property

The inverse property of addition states that, for every real number a, there is a unique
number, called the additive inverse (or opposite), denoted−a, that, when added to the original
number, results in the additive identity, 0.

For example, if , the additive inverse is , since .

The inverse property of multiplication holds for all real numbers except because the
reciprocal of is not defined. The property states that, for every real number , there is a
unique number, called the multiplicative inverse (or reciprocal), denoted , that, when
multiplied by the original number, results in the multiplicative identity, .

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU
For example, if , the reciprocal, denoted , is because

( ) ( )

Key Concepts

 Rational numbers may be written as fractions or terminating or repeating decimals.

 Determine whether a number is rational or irrational by writing it as a decimal.
 The rational numbers and irrational numbers make up the set of real numbers. A
number can be classified as natural, whole, integer, rational, or irrational.
 The order of operations is used to evaluate expressions.
 The real numbers under the operations of addition and multiplication obey basic rules,
known as the properties of real numbers. These are the commutative properties, the
associative properties, the distributive property, the identity properties, and the inverse
properties.
 Algebraic expressions are composed of constants and variables that are combined using
addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They take on a numerical value
when evaluated by replacing variables with constants.
 Formulas are equations in which one quantity is represented in terms of other
quantities. They may be simplified or evaluated as any mathematical expression.

LECTURE NOTES IN CALCULUS

Chapter 1: Real Number System
Prepared by: MARIA DIVINA B. TAPIRU