1. Rational Numbers
Rational numbers encompass integers, whole numbers, and natural numbers, thus expanding the number system to allow for the solutions of various equations. The chapter discusses key properties of rational numbers, including closure, commutativity, associativity, and the identities for addition and multiplication, as well as the distributive property. Understanding these properties provides foundational skills in mathematical operations involving rational numbers.
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What we have learnt
- Rational numbers are closed under the operations of addition, subtraction, and multiplication.
- The operations of addition and multiplication are commutative and associative for rational numbers.
- The rational number 0 serves as the additive identity, and 1 functions as the multiplicative identity for rational numbers.
- Between any two rational numbers, there exist countless other rational numbers.
Key Concepts
- -- Rational Number
- A number that can be expressed as the quotient of two integers where the denominator is not zero.
- -- Closure Property
- A property stating that performing an operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication) on two elements of a set results in an element that is also in that set.
- -- Commutativity
- The property indicating that the order in which two numbers are added or multiplied does not affect the result.
- -- Associativity
- The property stating that the way numbers are grouped when added or multiplied does not change the sum or the product.
- -- Identity Element
- An element that, when used in an operation with another element, returns that element unchanged; for addition, it is 0; for multiplication, it is 1.
- -- Distributive Property
- A property describing how multiplication distributes over addition or subtraction: a(b + c) = ab + ac.
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