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rational number

noun Mathematics.

a number that can be expressed exactly by a ratio of two integers.

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Origin of rational number

First recorded in 1900–05

Words nearby rational number

rational function, rational horizon, rationalism, rationality, rationalize, rational number, rational operation, rational therapy, rationing, rations, ratio scale
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for rational number

rational number

noun

any real number of the form a / b, where a and b are integers and b is not zero, as 7 or 7/3
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for rational number

rational number

A number that can be expressed as an integer or a quotient of integers. For example, 2, -5, and 12 are rational numbers.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.