Number line in the context of "Elementary arithmetic"

An integer is the number zero (0), a positive natural number (1, 2, 3, ...), or the negation of a positive natural number (−1, −2, −3, ...). The negations or additive inverses of the positive natural numbers are referred to as negative integers. The set of all integers is often denoted by the boldface Z or blackboard bold ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} }$.

The set of natural numbers ${\displaystyle \mathbb {N} }$ is a subset of ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} }$, which in turn is a subset of the set of all rational numbers ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Q} }$, itself a subset of the real numbers ⁠${\displaystyle \mathbb {R} }$⁠. Like the set of natural numbers, the set of integers ${\displaystyle \mathbb {Z} }$ is countably infinite. An integer may be regarded as a real number that can be written without a fractional component. For example, 21, 4, 0, and −2048 are integers, while 9.75, ⁠5+1/2⁠, 5/4, and the square root of 2 are not.

In mathematics, an inequality is a relation which makes a non-equal comparison between two numbers or other mathematical expressions. It is used most often to compare two numbers on the number line by their size. The main types of inequality are less than and greater than (denoted by < and >, respectively the less-than and greater-than signs).

A one-dimensional space (1D space) is a mathematical space in which location can be specified with a single coordinate. An example is the number line, each point of which is described by a single real number. Any straight line or smooth curve is a one-dimensional space, regardless of the dimension of the ambient space in which the line or curve is embedded. Examples include the circle on a plane, or a parametric space curve.In physical space, a 1D subspace is called a "linear dimension" (rectilinear or curvilinear), with units of length (e.g., metre).

In algebraic geometry there are several structures that are one-dimensional spaces but are usually referred to by more specific terms. Any field ${\displaystyle K}$ is a one-dimensional vector space over itself. The projective line over ${\displaystyle K,}$ denoted ${\displaystyle \mathbf {P} ^{1}(K),}$ is a one-dimensional space. In particular, if the field is the complex numbers ${\displaystyle \mathbb {C} ,}$ then the complex projective line ${\displaystyle \mathbf {P} ^{1}(\mathbb {C} )}$ is one-dimensional with respect to ${\displaystyle \mathbb {C} }$ (but is sometimes called the Riemann sphere, as it is a model of the sphere, two-dimensional with respect to real-number coordinates).

In mathematics and statistics, a quantitative variable may be continuous or discrete. If it can take on two real values and all the values between them, the variable is continuous in that interval. If it can take on a value such that there is a non-infinitesimal gap on each side of it containing no values that the variable can take on, then it is discrete around that value. In some contexts, a variable can be discrete in some ranges of the number line and continuous in others. In statistics, continuous and discrete variables are distinct statistical data types which are described with different probability distributions.