Grade 6 • 1yr.
Does QC/QEP Math differentiate between the concept of WHOLE NUMBERS (Positive Integers including ZERO) and NATURAL NUMBERS (Positive Integers, also called Counting Numbers, starting from 1) ?
Or do they consider "Natural Numbers" to be the Same as WHOLE numbers, as they appear to skip/ignore the concept of WHOLE numbers entirely, even in the Decimal A and B Workbooks for Cycle 3 ??
Explanation from Alloprof
This Explanation was submitted by a member of the Alloprof team.
Thank you for your question!
As far as I know, the Quebec math cursus distinguishes whole numbers and natural numbers, but not with the exact same definition as you suggested.
Indeed, whole numbers contain all positive and negative integers, including 0, while natural numbers contain all positive (but not negative) integers including 0. Some textbooks while use N* to refer to the set of all natural numbers excluding 0.
I cannot confirm that the distinction is made in a specific textbook, because most moderators of the Help Zone do not have access to them. However, the teachers who work at our direct services (phone-in) do have access to most textbooks. You can also resubmit this question with a picture or screenshot of the page that seems to confuse whole and natural numbers if you prefer so we can confirm.
We are currently translating the math part of our website, but these pages (in French) can still help:
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