What is an Integer?
An integer is what is more commonly known as a whole number. It may be positive, negative, or the number zero, but it must be whole. In some cases the definition of whole number will exclude the number zero, or even the set of negative numbers, but this is not as common as the more inclusive use of the term. Integers are the numbers people are most familiar with, and they serve a crucial role in virtually all mathematics. To understand what an integer is — that is to say, why it is different than simply a ‘number’ — we must look at the other sets of numbers that can exist. Many of these sets overlap with the integer set in some areas, and some are virtually identical. Others have very little in common with any integer — these sorts of numbers tend to be much less familiar to most people. The subset of positive integers is probably the oldest set of numbers. This group is often referred to as the set of counting numbers, since these are the numbers used to count things and ideas. The nu
An integer is what is more commonly known as a whole number. It may be positive, negative, or the number zero, but it must be whole. In some cases the definition of whole number will exclude the number zero, or even the set of negative numbers, but this is not as common as the more inclusive use of the term. Integers are the numbers people are most familiar with, and they serve a crucial role in virtually all mathematics. To understand what an integer is — that is to say, why it is different than simply a ‘number’ — we must look at the other sets of numbers that can exist. Many of these sets overlap with the integer set in some areas, and some are virtually identical. Others have very little in common with any integer — these sorts of numbers tend to be much less familiar to most people.
