Which statement is correct?

Integers include negative numbers.

Whole numbers include negative values.

Integers include negative numbers.

Which statement is true?

All natural numbers are whole numbers.

All integers are whole numbers.

All whole numbers are natural numbers.

All natural numbers are whole numbers.

Zero is a natural number and a whole number.

Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers

Q: Is 0 a natural number?

No. Natural numbers are the counting numbers and they start at 1, so zero is not one of them. Zero does belong to two larger sets, though: it is both a whole number and an integer. Counting always begins at one, not at zero.

Q: Is 0 an integer?

Yes. Integers are the whole numbers, their negatives and zero. So zero sits right in the middle of the integer number line. Zero is a whole number too. The only set it does not belong to is the natural numbers, which start at 1.

Q: Are negative numbers integers?

Yes. Integers include the negatives of the counting numbers, such as -1, -2 and -3. They also include zero and the positive whole numbers. A negative whole value like -7 is an integer. It is not a natural number or a whole number, because both of those exclude negatives.

Q: Are fractions and decimals integers?

No. Integers are whole values with nothing after a decimal point. So fractions like one third and decimals like 2.5 are not integers. They are not natural numbers or whole numbers either. All three sets contain only whole amounts, never parts of a number.

Q: Is every natural number also a whole number and an integer?

Yes. The three sets are nested. Every natural number is also a whole number, and every whole number is also an integer. So a counting number like 5 belongs to all three sets at once. The sets grow outward: naturals sit inside wholes, which sit inside integers.

Key concept

Natural numbers are the counting numbers that start at 1, like 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Whole numbers add 0, while integers also include negatives like −1, −2, −3. Each set fits inside the next, so every whole number is an integer.

Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers - introduction visual

Video Lesson

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$Natural Numbers, Whole Numbers, and Integers poster$

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Flashcards

Review key concepts visually

Integers, whole numbers, and natural numbers with examples, notes that natural numbers are whole numbers and whole numbers are integers.

$Natural numbers 1-5 shown by counting bees, with note that natural numbers exclude zero, negatives, fractions, and decimals$ Practice questions showing zero, −5, 1/3, and 2.5 are not natural numbers

Practice questions showing zero, −5, 1/3, and 2.5 are not natural numbers

Whole numbers include natural numbers and zero, shown as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, … with note that a whole-number answer can be 0

Identifying whole numbers: 0, 17, and 31 are whole numbers but −3, −8, −1.5, 0.3, and ⅖ are not

Integers shown on a keypad as 2, 1, 0, −1, −2, −3, highlighting that integers include whole numbers, their negatives, and zero

Classifying 5, 0, and −7 as natural numbers, whole numbers, or integers: 5 is all three, 0 is whole and integer, −7 is integer only

Types of Numbers

Numbers can be grouped into different sets.
Common sets are natural numbers, whole numbers, and integers.

Practice Questions

Test your understanding

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Q1Easy

Which of the following is a natural number?

Choose your answer to continue

Interactive Activity

Practice identifying Natural, Whole, and Integer numbers

Find the Natural Number

Select the correct number from the options below

Definitions

NNatural Numbers: Counting numbers {1, 2, 3...}

WWhole Numbers: Natural numbers + 0 {0, 1, 2...}

ZIntegers: Whole numbers and their negatives {...-2, -1, 0, 1, 2...}

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Students Also Ask

The questions students bump into most on this topic

Is 0 a natural number?

No. Natural numbers are the counting numbers and they start at 1, so zero is not one of them. Zero does belong to two larger sets, though: it is both a whole number and an integer. Counting always begins at one, not at zero.

Is 0 an integer?

Yes. Integers are the whole numbers, their negatives and zero. So zero sits right in the middle of the integer number line. Zero is a whole number too. The only set it does not belong to is the natural numbers, which start at 1.

What is the difference between a whole number and an integer?

Whole numbers are zero and the counting numbers: 0, 1, 2, 3 and onwards. Integers include all of those plus their negatives, such as -1, -2 and -3. So every whole number is an integer, but the negative integers are not whole numbers.

Are negative numbers integers?

Yes. Integers include the negatives of the counting numbers, such as -1, -2 and -3. They also include zero and the positive whole numbers. A negative whole value like -7 is an integer. It is not a natural number or a whole number, because both of those exclude negatives.

Are fractions and decimals integers?

No. Integers are whole values with nothing after a decimal point. So fractions like one third and decimals like 2.5 are not integers. They are not natural numbers or whole numbers either. All three sets contain only whole amounts, never parts of a number.

Is every natural number also a whole number and an integer?

Yes. The three sets are nested. Every natural number is also a whole number, and every whole number is also an integer. So a counting number like 5 belongs to all three sets at once. The sets grow outward: naturals sit inside wholes, which sit inside integers.

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