rational number
noun
: a number that can be expressed as an integer or the quotient of an integer divided by a nonzero integer
Examples of rational number in a Sentence
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Assuming that the lengths of the triangle correspond to rational numbers, and are integers and have no common divisor—or so everyone thought.
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Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2024
Elliptic curves restricted to the rational numbers — numbers that can be written as fractions — are particularly useful.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
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Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2024
Elliptic curves restricted to the rational numbers — numbers that can be written as fractions — are particularly useful.
—Lyndie Chiou, Quanta Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rational number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rational%20number. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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