Properties of Real Numbers of any number a is -a The sum of opposites is 0 of any nonzero number a is 1/a The product of reciprocals is 1 its distance from zero on the number line *remember that distance CANNOT be negative the counting numbers 1,2,3,4,... natural numbers and zero 0,1,2,3,4,.... whole numbers and their opposites ...-3, -2, -1, 0, 1,2,3,... A number that can be written as a fraction. When written as a decimal, they terminate or repeat. 1/2, 1/3, 0.5, 0.3333333... Real numbers such as pi. Decimals that do not terminate or repeat (have no pattern). means subtract means divide means add means multiply opposite or additive inverse reciprocal or multipicative inverse absolute value of a real number natural numbers whole numbers integers rational numbers irrational numbers difference quotient sum product