Have you ever heard the term \u201cwhole number\u201d? It might seem like a weird concept: aren\u2019t all numbers whole? I ate six apples this week, or I charged my electric vehicle for three hours yesterday. Those are whole numbers, right?<\/p>\n
Well, not all numbers are whole. You could have eaten 3\u00bd apples during a particularly slow apple-eating week, and maybe you didn\u2019t drive your electric vehicle all that much yesterday, so you only had to charge it for 2.3 hours. Those are not whole numbers.<\/p>\n
The purpose of this chapter is to define what a whole number is and then learn to work with those whole numbers, be it by adding, subtracting<\/a>, multiplying, or dividing<\/a>. A number of years ago, a student named Harpreet went through a plumbing apprenticeship<\/a> program. After completing his schooling and receiving his Red Seal plumbing ticket, he has decided to open up his own plumbing company.<\/p>\n Like most new entrepreneurs, he experienced a steep learning curve, especially when it came to ordering material for jobs and organizing and scheduling when he had a number of jobs on the go.<\/p>\n Although he might not be thinking about counting numbers or whole numbers, he has ended up working with these when ordering materials and during the day-to-day operations of the company.<\/p>\n If we want to start with the very basics, we must start with counting numbers, which are sometimes referred to as natural numbers. These are the most basic units in algebra<\/a> and the ones we use to count objects. For instance, Harpreet had to order one toilet, two sets of taps, three fittings, four braided hoses, and five chocolate bars (it seems like Harpreet has a bit of a sweet tooth).<\/p>\n
\nAll the chapters in this textbook, including this one, will have examples and exercises geared towards the trades. It contains content relevant to all trades, no matter what trade you are in.<\/p>\nCounting Numbers and Whole Numbers<\/h3>\n