The Rational Numbers

Rational numbers are numbers that can be expressed as a fraction, where both the numerator (top number) and denominator (bottom number) are integers, and the denominator is not zero. This includes whole numbers, fractions, and decimals that terminate or repeat (e.g., 1/2, -3, 4.75, 0.333...). They are called "rational" because they can be written as ratios of two integers. In contrast to irrational numbers, which cannot be expressed this way (like π or √2), rational numbers are used to precisely represent quantities that can be broken down into parts.