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Unit 1 Real Numbers Notes

This document provides an overview of real numbers and the real number line. It defines the sets of natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and real numbers. It explains how to represent numbers on the real number line using open intervals, closed intervals, and half-closed/half-open intervals. It also describes how to find the intersection and union of sets of real numbers.

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Joder Feo tranquilo
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213 views8 pages

Unit 1 Real Numbers Notes

This document provides an overview of real numbers and the real number line. It defines the sets of natural numbers, integers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and real numbers. It explains how to represent numbers on the real number line using open intervals, closed intervals, and half-closed/half-open intervals. It also describes how to find the intersection and union of sets of real numbers.

Uploaded by

Joder Feo tranquilo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Unit 1-Real Numbers

INDEX
Page
1. The Set of Real Numbers………………………………………………………… 2
2. The Real Number Line ……………………………………………………………… 4
1. Set Notation
A set is a collection of objects called elements of the set.
Symbolically, we use two common methods to write sets:
• The roster notation is a complete or implied listing of all the
elements of the set.
{a,b,c,d} or {2,4,6,8,….,20} are examples of this notation.
(The ellipsis, “……”, is used to mean you fill in the missing elements in
the obvious manner or pattern)
• The set-builder notation is used when the roster notation is
cumbersome or impossible. This method specifies conditions under
which a number belongs to a set.
For instance, the set of all odd natural numbers less than 999.
{x| x is an odd natural number less than 999}

2. The set of Real Numbers


2.1 Natural Numbers
Natural numbers are those numbers used for counting,
In formal math, 0 is not included in the set of Natural numbers.
But you can find in many math`s books that 0 is included: {0, 1, 2, 3, …..}

Do the following numbers belong to the subset of natural numbers? Circle


the right ones.

8 2
− 1,0,5, 3 , − 3 , , ,74,4.86
2 8
2.2 Integers
Integers are the set of natural numbers and their opposites:
{…, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, …..}

Opposite numbers: Two numbers that have the same absolute value but
have opposite signs.
Ex: 2 and -2, 14 and -14
Are the following numbers integers?
8 2
− 1,0,5, 3 , − 3 , , ,−74,1.8,−3.5
2 8
2.3 Rational Numbers
Rational numbers are those numbers that can be expressed as a fraction
(an integer divided by a non zero integer).
{p/q | p is an integer, q is an integer and q≠ 0}
Rational numbers are numbers whose decimal representation either
terminates (0.347) or has a repeating block of digits (0.54545454….).

Are the following numbers rational?

8 2
− 1,0,5, 3 , − 3 , , ,−74,1. 8 ,−3.5
2 8
2.4 Irrational Numbers
Irrational numbers are those numbers that can not be expressed as a
fraction (the quotient of two integers).
Their decimal representation neither terminates nor has a repeating block
of digits.

Famous irrational numbers:


• π (Pi): 3.1415926535897932384626433832795….
• ϕ (Phi): 1.61803398874989484820...
• (Euler’s number): 2.71828182845904523536028747…

2.5 Real Numbers


Real numbers are all the numbers that you know.
They are either rational or irrational.
{ x| x is a rational number or x is an irrational number}

Do the following numbers belong to the set of real numbers?

8 2
− 1,0,5, 3 , − 3 , , , ϕ ,−74,1.8,−3.5
2 8

3. The Real Number Line.


Real numbers can be illustrated in a horizontal line that extends from a
special point called the Origin (zero,0) in both directions towards infinity.
Apart from the origin, in a real number line we always have to represent
the unit length (1)

−∞ +∞
0 1

Place the following numbers 3 6


in the number line 7, −3,1.7, − ,
4 5

3.1 Representation of irrational numbers.

To represent an irrational number on the number line:

Numbers such as π , ϕ , e : Round them up and represent them as a


rational number.
π ≈ 3.14

0 3.14

Square roots: Use the Pythagoras Theorem.

In a right angled triangle the square of the hypotenuse is equal to


the sum of the squares of the other two sides (called legs or catheti)

a2 + b2 = c2

c = a2 + b2
Let's represent 2

2 = 12 + 12

Represent the following numbers on the number line:


1, 5, 8, 9

3.2 Inequalities and interval notation.

3.2.1 OPEN INTERVALS


An open interval (a, b) is the set of all the numbers between a and b, not
including neither a nor b:
{x / a< x < b}
It’s represented as:

An open interval does not include its endpoints.

For instance: the interval (-2, 1)

Interval notation Set notation


(-2, 1) {x / -2 < x < 1}

Its representation is as follows:

Finally, the other way around:

-5 0
Interval notation Set notation

(….., ……) {x / ……..x ………}


3.2.2 CLOSED INTERVALS
A closed interval [a, b] is the set of all the numbers between a and b,
including both of them:
{x / a ≤ x ≤ b}
It’s represented as:

An open interval includes all of its limit points.

3.2.3 HALF-CLOSED INTERVALS


A closed interval (a, b] is the set of all the numbers between a and b,
including b but not a:
{x / a < x ≤ b}
It’s represented as:

A closed interval [a, b) is the set of all the numbers between a and b,
{
including a but not b: x / a < x ≤ b }
It’s represented as:

A half-open interval only includes one of its endpoints.

3.2.4 HALF-LINES
A half-line is a line which has one end, but stretches off to infinity in the
other direction:

(−∞, a ) = {x / x < a}
(−∞, a ] = {x / x ≤ a}

( a , +∞ ) = { x / x > a }

a
[ a , +∞ ) = {x / x ≥ a}

a
3.3 Intersections and Unions.

3.3.1 INTERSECTIONS.
The intersection of two sets A and B is the set of all the members that are
common to A and B. We denote the intersection of sets A and B as:

A∩ B

For instance, if A= {1,2,3} and B={3,5,7} then A ∩ B = {3}


If A= [-1,5) and B=(3,10] then A ∩ B = (3,5)
If C = [1,+∞) and D = [3,+∞) then C ∩ D = [3,+∞)
3.3.2 UNIONS

The union of two sets A and B is the collection of elements belonging to A


and/or B. We denote the union of A and B by:

A∪ B

For instance, if A= {1,2,3} and B={3,5,7} then A ∪ B = {1,2,3,5,7}


If C= [-1,2) and F=(3,10] then A ∪B = [−1,2) ∪ (3,10]

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