misconceptions about rational numbers Archives

5 Misconceptions About Rational Numbers

December 11, 2013 GB High School Mathematics, Pedagogy and Teaching

Before, I discuss the misconceptions, let us recall the definition of rational numbers. A rational number is a number that can represented by the fraction $\frac{a}{b}$ where $a$ and $b$ are integers and $b$ not equal to 0. From this definition and other previously learned concepts, let us examine the following misconceptions about rational numbers.

Misconception 1 : Zero is not a rational number.

Truth: YES, it is. Zero, and negative and positive integers are all rational numbers. For example, $0 = \frac{0}{1}$ , $-5 = \frac{-5}{1}$ , and $100 = \frac{100}{1}$ are all fractions whose numerators and denominators are integers and denominator 1 (which is clearly not equal to 0). » Read more

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