In mathematics, a rational number (commonly called a fraction) is a ratio or quotient of two integers, usually written as the vulgar fraction a/b, where b is not zero.

Each rational number can be written in infinitely many forms, for example $3/6\; =\; 2/4\; =\; 1/2$. The simplest form is when $a$ and $b$ have no common divisors, and every non-zero rational number has exactly one simplest form of this type with positive denominator. A fraction in this simplest form is said to be an irreducible fraction, or a fraction in reduced form.

The decimal expansion of a rational number is eventually periodic (in the case of a finite expansion the zeroes which implicitly follow it form the periodic part). The same is true for any other integral base above one, and is also true when rational numbers are considered to be p-adic numbers rather than real numbers. Conversely, if the expansion of a number for one base is periodic, it is periodic for all bases and the number is rational.

A real number which is not a rational number is called an irrational number.

The set of all rational numbers, which consitute a field, is denoted by Q, or in blackboard bold $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$. Using the set-builder notation $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$ is defined as such:

$\backslash mathbb\{Q\}\; =\; \backslash left\backslash \{\backslash frac\{m\}\{n\}\; :\; m\; \backslash in\; \backslash mathbb\{Z\},\; n\; \backslash in\; \backslash mathbb\{Z\},\; n\; \backslash ne\; 0\; \backslash right\backslash \}$

The term rational

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In mathematics, the term "rational something" sometimes means that the underlying field considered is the field $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$ of rational numbers. For example, a rational integer is an algebraic integer which is also a rational number, which is to say, an ordinary integer, and a rational matrix is a matrix whose coefficients are rational numbers. Rational polynomial usually, and most correctly, means a polynomial with rational coefficients, also called a "polynomial over the rationals". However, rational function does not mean the underlying field is the rational numbers, and a rational algebraic curve is not an algebraic curve with rational coefficients.

Arithmetic

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$\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}\; +\; \backslash frac\{c\}\{d\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{ad+bc\}\{bd\}$

 

$\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}\; \backslash cdot\; \backslash frac\{c\}\{d\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{ac\}\{bd\}$

 

Two rational numbers $\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}$ and $\backslash frac\{c\}\{d\}$ are equal if and only if $ad\; =\; bc$

Additive and multiplicative inverses exist in the rational numbers.

$-\; \backslash left(\; \backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}\; \backslash right)\; =\; \backslash frac\{-a\}\{b\}$

 

$\backslash left(\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}\backslash right)^\{-1\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{b\}\{a\}\; \backslash mbox\{\; if\; \}\; a\; \backslash neq\; 0$

History

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Egyptian fractions

Any positive rational number can be expressed as a sum of distinct reciprocals of positive integers.

For instance, $\backslash frac\{5\}\{7\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{1\}\{2\}\; +\; \backslash frac\{1\}\{6\}\; +\; \backslash frac\{1\}\{21\}$

For any positive rational number, there are infinitely many different such representations. These representations are called Egyptian fractions, because the ancient Egyptians used them. The Egyptians also had a different notation for dyadic fractions. See also Egyptian numerals.

Formal construction

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Mathematically we may construct the rational numbers as an equivalence class of ordered pair of integers $\backslash left(a,\; b\backslash right)$, with $b$ not equal to zero. We can define addition and multiplication of these pairs with the following rules:

$\backslash left(a,\; b\backslash right)\; +\; \backslash left(c,\; d\backslash right)\; =\; \backslash left(ad\; +\; bc,\; bd\backslash right)$

$\backslash left(a,\; b\backslash right)\; \backslash times\; \backslash left(c,\; d\backslash right)\; =\; \backslash left(ac,\; bd\backslash right)$

and if c ≠ 0, division by

$\backslash frac\{\backslash left(a,\; b\backslash right)\}\; \{\backslash left(c,\; d\backslash right)\}\; =\; \backslash left(ad,\; bc\backslash right).$

To conform to our expectation that $2/4\; =\; 1/2$, we define an equivalence relation $\backslash sim$ upon these pairs with the following rule:

$\backslash left(a,\; b\backslash right)\; \backslash sim\; \backslash left(c,\; d\backslash right)\; \backslash mbox\{\; iff\; \}\; ad\; =\; bc$

This equivalence relation is compatible with the addition and multiplication defined above, and we may define Q to be the quotient set of ~, i.e. we identify two pairs (a, b) and (c, d) if they are equivalent in the above sense. (This construction can be carried out in any integral domain: see field of fractions.)

We can also define a total order on Q by writing

Properties

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The set $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$, together with the addition and multiplication operations shown above, forms a field, the field of fractions of the integers $\backslash mathbb\{Z\}$.

The rationals are the smallest field with characteristic zero: every other field of characteristic zero contains a copy of $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$. The rational numbers are therefore the prime field for characterstic zero.

The algebraic closure of $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$, i.e. the field of roots of rational polynomials, is the algebraic numbers.

The set of all rational numbers is countable. Since the set of all real numbers is uncountable, we say that almost all real numbers are irrational, in the sense of Lebesgue measure, i.e. the set of rational numbers is a null set.

The rationals are a densely ordered set: between any two rationals, there sits another one, in fact infinitely many other ones. Any totally ordered set which is countable, dense (in the above sense), and has no least or greatest element is order isomorphic to the rational numbers.

Real numbers

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The rationals are a dense subset of the real numbers: every real number has rational numbers arbitrarily close to it. A related property is that rational numbers are the only numbers with finite expressions of continued fraction.

By virtue of their order, the rationals carry an order topology. The rational numbers also carry a subspace topology. The rational numbers form a metric space by using the metric $d\backslash left(x,\; y\backslash right)\; =\; |x\; -\; y|$, and this yields a third topology on $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$. All three topologies coincide and turn the rationals into a topological field. The rational numbers are an important example of a space which is not locally compact. The rationals are characterized topologically as the unique countable metric space without isolated points. The space is also totally disconnected. The rational numbers do not form a complete metric space; the real numbers are the completion of $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$.

p-adic numbers

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In addition to the absolute value metric mentioned above, there are other metrics which turn $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$ into a topological field:

Let $p$ be a prime number and for any non-zero integer $a$ let $|a|\_p\; =\; p^\{-n\}$, where $p^n$ is the highest power of $p$ dividing $a$;

In addition write $|0|\_p\; =\; 0$. For any rational number $\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}$, we set $\backslash left|\backslash frac\{a\}\{b\}\backslash right|\_p\; =\; \backslash frac\{|a|\_p\}\{|b|\_p\}$.

Then $d\_p\backslash left(x,\; y\backslash right)\; =\; |x\; -\; y|\_p$ defines a metric on $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}$.

The metric space $\backslash left(\backslash mathbb\{Q\},\; d\_p\backslash right)$ is not complete, and its completion is the p-adic number field $\backslash mathbb\{Q\}\_p$. See Ostrowski's theorem.

External links

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• "Rational Number." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource

Elementary mathematics | Field theory | Fractions | Real numbers | Set theory

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