Numbers and fundamental operations

We begin our journey from the basics: numbers and the operations that connect them. It may seem trivial, but mastering the rules of calculation is the foundation on which we shall build everything else. The chapter introduces numerical expressions and the order of operations, the commutative and associative properties, the number sets $\mathbb{N}\subset\mathbb{Z}\subset\mathbb{Q}\subset\mathbb{R}$, powers with their properties and, finally, prime factorisation with GCD, LCM, the sieve of Eratosthenes and the divisibility rules.

Sections

• Numerical expressions
• Properties of operations
• Number sets
• Powers and properties
• Prime factorisation, GCD and LCM

Further reading

• Zero and positional notation
• How many prime numbers are there

Exercises

• All the worked exercises of the chapter