Real Number System |1

Chapter 1: Real Number System

Learning outcomes

At the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

 Identify real numbers and the types of real numbers.

 Convert decimals to fractions
 Use the real number system
 Use the laws of indices to simplify expressions
 Identify surd
 Rationalize the denominator

What is number?

Number is one of the basic concepts of mathematics, used to count and measure.

1.1. Real Number

Almost any number you can think of is a real number. It can be said that real number is a
combined set of rational numbers and irrational numbers.

Classification of real number

Natural numbers

Natural numbers are numbers that are commonly used. The mathematical symbol for the
set of all natural numbers is N as N  {1, 2, 3, 4, ...} .

Integers

Integers are formed by the natural numbers together with their negatives and including
zero. The mathematical symbol for the set of all integers is Z . Viewed as a subset of
the real number, they are numbers that can be written without a fractional or decimal
component, and fall within the set N  {...,2,  1, 0,1, 2, ...} .

Rational Numbers

a
Rational Numbers are numbers that can be expressed in the form of where a and
b
b are integers and b  0 . The mathematical symbol for rational numbers is Q .

1 2 5 65
Examples of rational numbers are: , , , 65 
2 7 8 1
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Irrational Numbers

Irrational means NOT rational. Irrational numbers are numbers that cannot be expressed
a
in the form of for integer a and b . The irrational numbers have decimal that goes
b
on forever without repeating.

Rational numbers however have decimal that repeats itself, as 1 / 3  0.333333... or

2 / 7  0.285714285714... , 1 / 5  0.2000...  0.2 0 . (The bar indicates that the number
zero repeats forever). The decimal formed as 0.42442444244442... has no regularly
repeating group and is thus irrational for example of irrational number is 2 , e,  .

The Real Number Line

A point is chosen on the line to be the "origin", points to the right will be positive, and
points to the left will be negative.

Real Numbers

The Real Number SystemRational

Irrational
Numbers
Numbers

Integers
 Real Number System |3

Figure 1.1: The relationship between the real number, rational number and irrational
numbers.

Converting decimal to fraction

A repeating decimal x  1.2535353535... is a rational number. To convert it to

fraction, we write:
1000 x  1253.5353535...
10 x  12.5353535... 
990 x  1241.0
1241
x
990

Example 1.1: Convert the following into fraction

(a) 0.342424242 (b) 9.5 (c) 5.45

Solution
(a) 0.342424242
1000 x  342.424242...
10 x  3.424242... 
990 x  339.0
339
x
990

95
(b) 9.5 
10
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545
(c) 5.45 
100

The Properties of Real Number

Commutative Properties

Addition Exp: (i) 3+5 = 5+3

a b b  a
(ii) 2
Multiplication
ab b a

Associative Properties (2+5) +7 = 2 +(5 +7)

Addition (
( a  b)  c  a  ( b  c )

Multiplication
( a b) c  a ( b c )

3(2+5)=3(2)+3(5)

Distributive Property

a (b  c )  a b  a c )

1.2. Intervals

Notations Inequality
( a, b ) a xb

[ a, b) a xb
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( a, b] a xb

( a,  ) xa
[ a,  ) xa

( , a ) xa
( , a ] xa

 [ a, b] if a and b are included (i.e. [ a, b]  {x : a  x  b} ).

 ( a, b) if neither a or b is included (i.e. (a, b)  {x : a  x  b} ).
 [ a, b) if a is included but b is not.

 ( a, b] if b is included but a is not.

Absolute value

Definition

For all x  , (where  is real number).

x  x if x  0
x   x if x  0

 x ;x  0
In other word we can define x   x ; x  0


Example 1.2:

Find the possible values of x if 3x  5  7

Solution

3x  5  7 or 3 x  5  7

75 75 2
x 4 x 
3 3 3
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1.3. Indices
The laws of Indices

If m, n are integers and a    (where   is positive real number),.then

Laws Examples

1. a m  a n  a m  n 3 2  35  3 25  37
2. a m  a n  a m n 5 6  5 3  5 63  5 3
3. (a m ) n  a mn (3 2 ) 3  332  36
1 1 1
4. a m  2 2  
am 22 4
5. a0  1 20  1
1 1
6. a m  m a 23  3 2

1.4. Surds

The term “surds” came from a Persian mathematician, Al-Khwarizmi around 820 AD
called irrational numbers "'inaudible" ... then was translated to the Latin surdus meaning
“mute”.

A surd is a square root which cannot be reduced to a whole number. For example,
4  2 is not a surd, as the answer is a whole number.

2 can't be simplified further so it is a surd.

Note: If it is a root and irrational, it is a surd, but not all roots are surds.

Properties of surds

Properties of surds Examples

p q  pq 2 3  23  6

p p 2 2
 
q q 3 3
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(p q )( p  q)  p2  q (2  3 )( 2  3)  4  3  1

Rationalising Surds

This is a way of modifying surd expressions so that the square root is in the numerator of
a fraction and not in the denominator.

Example 1.3:

1
Rationalise
3 5

Solution

Step 1: Find the conjugate of the denominator.

The conjugate of 3 5 is 3 5 .

Note: a  b is the conjugate of a b and vise versa.

Step 2: Multiply the numerator and the denominator with the conjugate.

1 3 5

3 5 3 5

Step 3: Simplify

1 3 5 3 5 3 5
  
3 5 3 5 95 4

1.5. Exercises

1. Which one of the following is a real number?

(a) 2.5 (b) i (c) 3  i (d) 1

2. Convert each of the following to fraction and state if it is rational or irrational.

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Number As a fraction Rational or irrational

1.75

0.001

0.5466666...

3. Which one of the following is not rational?

4
(a) 2 (b) 25 (c) 3 (d)
5

4. State the property of real numbers for the following statements.

(a) 3 p  q  q  3 p (b) 3( 2 x  1)  6 x  3

(c) x ( y  z )  ( y  z ) x (d) (a  b)  2c  a  (b  2c)

5. Rationalize the denominator for each of the following.

15 3 2
(a) (b) (c)
3 3 3 3 5 3

1 5 1 1 42 5
(d) (e)  (f)
2 1 3 1 3 1 1 3 5

6. Simplify the following.

x2 y5 2 2 3  1 5
(a) (b) ( x y z )  2 yz 
y2 x 
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1 2 p 2 q 3
(c) x 3  x 5 (d)
p 2q

7. Evaluate each of the following.

1
(a) 8 3 (b) 2 x  16 (c) 2 x 1  32 x

1 1 1
(d) 16  4 (e) 27 3  3 4