REAL

NUMBERS

If you were asked to count, the numbers youd say are called counting numbers. These numbers can be expressed using set notation.

{1, 2, 3, 4, . . . }
If we include 0 we have the set of whole numbers.

These are also called the natural numbers.

{0, 1, 2, 3, 4, . . . }

{ , -3, -2, -1, 0,1, 2, 3, . . . }

Include the opposites of the whole numbers and you have the set of integers.

Whole numbers are a subset of integers and counting numbers are a subset of whole numbers.
rational numbers integers whole numbers counting numbers
This means to divide one integer by another or make a fraction

If we express a new set of numbers as the quotient of two integers, we have the set of rational numbers

There are numbers that cannot be expressed as the quotient of two integers. These are called irrational numbers.
REAL NUMBERS

rational numbers integers whole numbers counting numbers

irrational numbers

The rational numbers combined with the irrational numbers make up the set of real numbers.

Translating English to Maths

sum of two numbers
difference between two numbers The product of two numbers the quotient of two numbers

a+b
a-b ab

a b
=

is

ORDER OF OPERATIONS
When there is more than one symbol of operation in an expression, it is agreed to complete the operations in a certain order. A mnemonic to help you remember this order is below. Complete Apply Indices multiplication and division from left right Complete addition and subtraction from left toto right Do any simplifying possible inside of brackets starting with innermost brackets and working out

BIMDAS

complete addition and subtraction, complete indices brackets multiplication apply combine the indice these and division, now first left leftto toright right

2 3 5 3 2 4 10 2 2 2 3 2 4 4 3 2 4 864
22

23 5 3 2 4
2
BIMDAS BIMDAS

COMMUTATIVE PROPERTY
The operations of both addition and multiplication are commutative

ab ba

3 2 2 3

When adding, you can commute or trade the terms places

ab b a

3 2 2 3

When multiplying, you can commute or trade the factors places

ASSOCIATIVE PROPERTY
The operations of both addition and multiplication are associative

a b c a b c 1 2 3 1 2 3
When adding, you can associate and add any terms first and then add the other term.

a b c a b c 2 3 4 2 3 4
When multiplying, you can associate and multiply any factors first and then multiply the other factor.

DISTRIBUTIVE PROPERTY
The operation of multiplication distributes over addition

a b c ab ac

32 4 3 2 3 4

The distributive property also holds for a factor that is multiplied on the left.

b c a b a c a 3 42 3 2 4 2

CAUTION: Remember that the value for a and/or b could also be positive or negative.

a b ab
A positive times a negative is
NEGATIVE

a b ab
A negative times a positive is NEGATIVE

a a
The negative POSITIVE of a negative

a a a b b b
A negative NEGATIVE A positive divided by a divided by a negative or positive is POSITIVE

a a b b

A negative divided by a negative is

Acknowledgement I wish to thank Shawna Haider from Salt Lake Community College, Utah USA for her hard work in creating this PowerPoint. www.slcc.edu Shawna has kindly given permission for this resource to be downloaded from www.mathxtc.com and for it to be modified to suit the Western Australian Mathematics Curriculum.

Stephen Corcoran Head of Mathematics St Stephens School Carramar www.ststephens.wa.edu.au