About
A natural number <math>\mathbb{N} </math> can be used for two purposes:
- to count (ie describe the size of a set)
- to order (ie or to describe the position of an element in a sequence).
0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ... or 1, 2, 3, 4,
The natural numbers are those used for:
| Operation | Example | Words |
|---|---|---|
| counting | there are six coins on the table | cardinal numbers |
| ranking | this is the third largest city in the country | ordinal numbers |
Articles Related
Number systems
N is a number system.
where:
- R = Real Number
- Q = Rational Number
- Z = Integer
- N = Natural Number
Representation
Symbol
In the base 10 numeral system, the symbols for natural numbers are written using ten digits: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
Class
In set theory, natural numbers can be represented by classes of equivalent sets. For instance, the number 3 can be represented as the class of all sets that have exactly three elements.