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Math
Prealgebra
The Properties of Real Numbers

The Properties of Real Numbers

You have already worked with counting numbers, whole numbers, integers, fractions, and decimals. In this chapter, we will fit these together into the set of real numbers, and learn about the properties that make arithmetic and algebra work the way they do — properties you will lean on constantly once you start solving equations.

Sections

  • Rational and Irrational Numbers — identifying rational and irrational numbers, and classifying numbers as whole, integer, rational, irrational, and real.
  • Commutative and Associative Properties — using the commutative and associative properties to simplify expressions, and recognizing when they do not apply.
  • Distributive Property — using the distributive property to simplify expressions and to combine like terms.
  • Properties of Identity, Inverses, and Zero — using the identity and inverse properties of addition and multiplication, and the properties of zero, to simplify expressions.
  • Systems of Measurement — converting between units within the U.S. system, within the metric system, between the two systems, and converting between Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures.

This chapter overview is adapted from Prealgebra 2e, Chapter 7 Introduction by Lynn Marecek, MaryAnne Anthony-Smith, and Andrea Honeycutt Mathis, © OpenStax, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Access the original for free at openstax.org. Changes: condensed the chapter introduction and recast the chapter outline as a section list.

Knowledge Check: Chapters 1–6Rational and Irrational Numbers