Question

Describe the relationship between rational numbers and whole numbers. Are all rational numbers also whole numbers? Are all whole numbers also rational numbers? Give examples to support your answer. in kid words

Answer 1

Let's break it down simply!

**What are Whole Numbers?**
Whole numbers are all the numbers you can count, starting from 0 and going up, like 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on. They do not have any fractions or decimals.

**What are Rational Numbers?**
Rational numbers are numbers that can be written as a fraction, where both the top number (numerator) and the bottom number (denominator) are whole numbers. For example, 1/2, 3/4, and even numbers like 2 (which can be written as 2/1) are rational.

**So what's the relationship?**

1. **Are all rational numbers also whole numbers?**
No, not all rational numbers are whole numbers. Some rational numbers are fractions, like 1/2 and 3/4. These are not whole numbers because they are parts of a whole, not whole things.

2. **Are all whole numbers also rational numbers?**
Yes! All whole numbers are rational numbers because you can always write them as a fraction. For example, the whole number 5 can be written as 5/1, which is a fraction where both numbers are whole numbers.

**Examples to support this:**

- **Whole numbers:** 0, 1, 2, 3 (all whole numbers and also rational because they can be written as 0/1, 1/1, 2/1, 3/1).
- **Rational numbers that are not whole numbers:** 1/2, 3/4 (these are rational, but they are not whole numbers).
- **Whole number as a rational number:** 4 is a whole number, and it is also rational because it can be written as 4/1.

So in short, whole numbers are a part of rational numbers, but not all rational numbers are whole numbers!