Integer numbers

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What are integer numbers?

The integer numbers or simply integers are sets of numerical signs that contain the natural numbers (positive numbers), the zero number "0" and the opposite numbers corresponding to the negative numbers of the natural numbers.

The integer numbers have no decimal part, are not fractional, nor have imaginary part.

The integers are classified into 3 types:

• Positive integers: It corresponds to the natural numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., infinite. A positive number is considered as having no sign or representing with the “+” sign in front of the numbers: +1, +4, +8, +10, etc.
• The zero "0": It is considered a neutral number, it is neither positive nor negative.
• Negative integers: Any negative number must be represented with the sign "-".

On the number line it is possible to represent whole numbers, with zero in the middle, positive numbers are to the right of zero and negative numbers to the left, considering that both the positive side and the negative side extend to infinity .

• - inf
• 0
• + inf

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Which are integers?

The integer numbers are unlimited, if we add or subtract an integer from “1”, we get another whole number, these are represented by the letter “Z”, in uppercase. The integers are: Z = {- infinity,…, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3,…, + infinity}

Properties or characteristics of integer numbers

• The zero "0" is less than any positive number and greater than any negative number. For example: -15 <0 <10
• Any positive number is greater than any negative number. For example: -3 <1
• When obtaining the absolute value of a number we will always obtain the same unsigned number, therefore, it is considered as a positive number.
• Opposite numbers that differ only in the sign are called opposites, for example: 20 and -20 are opposite numbers.

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Operations with integer numbers

Integers can be added, subtracted, multiplied or divided, it is important to obey the rules of signs to get a correct result.

Learn more about: “Rule of signs”. →