Difference between revisions of "Natural number"
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| − | The set of '''natural numbers''', denoted <math>\mathbb{N}</math>, is a subset of the [[integer]]s <math>\displaystyle\mathbb{Z}</math>. Unfortunately, exactly which subset is not entirely clear: in some texts, <math>\mathbb{N}</math> is taken to be the set of [[counting number]]s ([[positive integer]]s), while in others it is taken to be the set of [[whole number]]s ([[nonnegative | + | The set of '''natural numbers''', denoted <math>\mathbb{N}</math>, is a subset of the [[integer]]s <math>\displaystyle\mathbb{Z}</math>. Unfortunately, exactly which subset is not entirely clear: in some texts, <math>\mathbb{N}</math> is taken to be the set of [[counting number]]s ([[positive integer]]s), while in others it is taken to be the set of [[whole number]]s ([[nonnegative integer]]s). Because of this ambiguity, one should always be careful to define one's notation clearly. Possible alternatives include <math>\mathbb{P}</math> or <math>\mathbb{Z}_{>0}</math> for the positive integers or <math>\mathbb{Z}_{\geq0}</math> for the non-negative integers. |
Revision as of 11:52, 10 July 2006
The set of natural numbers, denoted 
, is a subset of the integers 
. Unfortunately, exactly which subset is not entirely clear: in some texts, is taken to be the set of counting numbers (positive integers), while in others it is taken to be the set of whole numbers (nonnegative integers). Because of this ambiguity, one should always be careful to define one's notation clearly. Possible alternatives include 
or 
for the positive integers or 
for the non-negative integers.
