Number
A number can be thought of as a concept or an idea that indicates how many or how much. There are many different classifications or categories of numbers, such as integers, negative numbers, prime numbers, cardinal numbers, and many more. Feel free to explore the rest of the site to learn more about various types of numbers. Below are a few examples and a basic definition of numbers.
The number of each set of objects pictured below can be named by the numeral 3:
A number may be named in more than one way: with words, in standard form, and in expanded form.
Example
| Word form | : | two hundred thirty-four |
| Standard form | : | 234 |
| Expanded form | : | 200 + 30 + 4 |
Did you know?
The concept of number is so abstract that a general mathematical definition has not been written for this term. Mathematicians worked for many, many years to find the words to define number accurately. Finally, they decided that the best way was to use a specific example. Although many people use the word number to mean numeral, they are not the same. Numerals are used to represent numbers, and one number can be represented with many different numerals. For example, some of the ways to represent three are 3, III (Roman numerals), and 2 + 1.