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irrational number

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
irrational number
n.
Any real number that cannot be expressed as a ratio between two integers.

irrational number
n
(Mathematics) any real number that cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers, such as π

irrational number  (-rsh-nl)
A number that cannot be expressed as a ratio between two integers and is not an imaginary number. If written in decimal notation, an irrational number would have an infinite number of digits to the right of the decimal point, without repetition. Pi and the square root of 2 (2) are irrational numbers.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.irrational number - a real number that cannot be expressed as a rational number
real, real number - any rational or irrational number
transcendental number - an irrational number that is not algebraic
algebraic number - root of an algebraic equation with rational coefficients


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He sets up this story by harkening back to the times of the ancient Greeks and Pythagoreans' attempts to deal with irrational numbers, MIT Pr, 2003, 213 p.
Beginning with natural numbers and covering the realms of infinity from prime numbers to parallel lines, the authors explore how mathematicians have tried to grasp the ungraspable, Profiles of individuals range from Pythagoras, who theorized about irrational numbers, to Georg Cantor, who proved that infinity can come in different sizes.
Since then, this never-ending, never-repeating, irrational number has been called the Golden Number or the Golden Ratio and linked to patterns ranging from the petal arrangement of roses to the composition of the "Mona Lisa.
 
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