natural number
"Natural numbers" are fundamental in mathematics and are commonly used for counting and ordering.
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Definition
B2General Mathematics
(technical, academic)A whole number greater than zero, used for counting and ordering.
Example
- The sequence 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on consists of natural numbers.
- In a race, the runners are assigned natural numbers as their positions.
C1Set Theory
(technical, academic)A non-negative integer, starting from zero, used to represent the size of a finite set.
Example
- The set {0, 1, 2, 3, ...} includes zero as a natural number in some contexts.
- In computer science, natural numbers often start from zero for indexing.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "natural number":