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!