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Opinions vary, and it's certainly possible just to come up with a technical definition and say "That's the most convenient, that's what we'll use." But I'm interested to know what the community here on HN thinks.
Is "-3" a whole number?
My feeling now is I don't suppose it really matters how you define them. :)
#include
int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
int num = -3;
fprintf(stdout, "%d\n", num);
}
Some people say whole numbers are not negative, while other people say zero is also not a whole number.
That should be enough for you to deduce what I believe whole numbers are.
I should add, for a mathematical audience, I'd be careful, because of possible confusion, and insist on saying positive integers, and non-negative integers in the case of what I'd call the natural numbers.
Surprising how split it is, I'd never have thought that 50% would say "No".
Never met a whole -3 pizzas, nor a whole 0 pizzas for that matter. That should be enough for you to deduce what I believe whole numbers are. I should add, for a mathematical audience, I'd be careful, because of possible confusion, and insist on saying positive integers, and non-negative integers in the case of what I'd call the natural numbers.
Surprising how split it is, I'd never have thought that 50% would say "No".
It's commonly taught that way. http://mathworld.wolfram.com/WholeNumber.html