Integer

Revision as of 00:43, 10 November 2006 by I_like_pie (talk | contribs)

An integer is one of the numbers obtained in counting positive integers (also known as natural numbers): $1,2,3,\dots$, zero: $0$, or one of the negative integers: $\displaystyle -1,-2,-3,\dots$. If $\displaystyle{a}$ and $b$ are integers, then their sum $a+b$, their difference $\displaystyle a-b$, and their product $ab$ are all integers, but their quotient $\frac ab$ may or may not be an integer.

The class of integers is the simplest class of numbers and is used to construct other classes like rational numbers and real numbers. The set of integers is symbolically written as $\displaystyle\mathbb{Z}$.


See Also