Real Numbers

🅟 Mar 20, 2026

  🅤 Apr 05, 2026

DEF-RR. Real Numbers.

  • The real number system $\R$ is, up to isomorphism, the unique ordered field that is Dedekind-complete.

    The existence of such a field can be shown through construction. See for example Construction of the real numbers (Wikipedia) and its references.

  • Based on the construction method, $\Q$ can be embedded into $\R$. Then we can say

    \[\N \subseteq \Z \subseteq \Q \subseteq \R.\]
  • The set of non-zero real numbers is

    \[\R^* = \R\setminus\{0\}.\]

    The set of positive real numbers is

    \[\R^+ = \{x\in\R : x>0\}.\]

    The set of negative real numbers is

    \[\R^- = \{x\in\R : x<0\}.\]