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GMAT > Math > Arithmetic > Number

GMAT Math Number Overview

Numbers are very deceptive. We all think that we know numbers very well. But numbers are complex and they are real. There are as many irrational ones as rational. Some of them are perfect and few others are polite.

Types of Numbers

Natural: Natural numbers are the numbers you use to count things with, starting with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on. You may also see natural numbers referred to as positive integers. Because they're positive, they don't include zero.

Whole: The set of counting numbers that includes zero is the set called whole numbers. In other words, whole numbers are all numbers in the following series: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on. Whole numbers can also be referred to as non-negative integers.

Integers: Integers belong to the set of all positive and negative whole numbers with zero included. Integers aren't fractions or decimals or portions of a number, so they really have it all together, which gives them their integrity. Integers include -5, -4, -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and continue infinitely on either side.

Rational: Rational numbers are expressed as the ratio of one integer to another; that is, they're numbers that are expressed as fractions. Rational numbers include all positive and negative integers, plus fractions and decimal numbers that either end or repeat. For example, 1/3 can be expressed as 0.3333….

Real: Real numbers belong to the set that includes all whole numbers, fractions, and rational as well as irrational numbers. You can think of real numbers as those numbers represented by all the points on a number line, either positive or negative.

Prime: Prime numbers are all of the positive integers that can be divided by only themselves and 1. One isn't a prime number. Two is the smallest of the prime numbers, and it also carries the distinction of being the only even prime number. For example, consider the series 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13….

TestCircle GMAT Math Number video lesson covers step-by-step explanation and systematic approach to solve the Number questions. Click here to buy the course and watch the GMAT videos.

GMAT Math Numebr Example Question

Q. In a number line AC, the distance between A and C is 12. B is a point between A and C on the line. The length AB is half the length BC. If the point P and the point Q are the mid points of AB and BC respectively, what is the distance between P and Q?

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Ans: 6 - Option B

GMAT Arithmetic Topics

Below are the topics covered under GMAT Arithmetic. Click on them to learn more: