Question
upstudy study bank question image url

No calculators may be used unless otherwise stated.
  1. Give an example to show that:
    a) is not closed under subtraction
    b) Not every Whole Number is a Natural Num
    c) is not closed under division
    d) is not closed under division.

Ask by Parry Garza. in South Africa
Jan 20,2025

Upstudy AI Solution

Tutor-Verified Answer

Answer

  • a) Subtracting 3 from 2 in natural numbers gives -1, which isn’t a natural number.
  • b) 0 is a whole number but not a natural number.
  • c) Dividing 1 by 2 in integers results in 0.5, which isn’t an integer.
  • d) Dividing 1 by 0 is undefined, showing rational numbers aren’t closed under division in this case.

Solution

Sign in to Unlock Answers for Free!

A Learning Platform Trusted by Millions of Real Students and Teachers.

star-icon Unlock

Answered by UpStudy AI and reviewed by a Professional Tutor

Mind Expander

To illustrate that is not closed under subtraction, take two natural numbers: and . When you subtract , you get , which is not a natural number. So, certainly isn’t closed under subtraction!
For the second point, consider the number . While every natural number is a positive integer starting from onward, is classified as a whole number but does not fall under the category of natural numbers. This distinction shows that not every whole number is a natural number.
Now, let’s say you take two integers: and from . If you try to divide by , the operation produces an undefined result. Thus, is not closed under division because we cannot divide by zero!
Lastly, consider the rational numbers and . If you try dividing by , it leads to an undefined result again. This indicates that is not closed under division, as there are valid rational numbers that cannot be divided by zero.

Try Premium now!
Try Premium and ask Thoth AI unlimited math questions now!
Maybe later Go Premium
Study can be a real struggle
Why not UpStudy it?
Select your plan below
Premium

You can enjoy

Start now
  • Step-by-step explanations
  • 24/7 expert live tutors
  • Unlimited number of questions
  • No interruptions
  • Full access to Answer and Solution
  • Full Access to PDF Chat, UpStudy Chat, Browsing Chat
Basic

Totally free but limited

  • Limited Solution
Welcome to UpStudy!
Please sign in to continue the Thoth AI Chat journey
Continue with Email
Or continue with
By clicking “Sign in”, you agree to our Terms of Use & Privacy Policy