They were known to the ancient civilisations. Irrational Numbers are supposed to have been discovered by Hippassus of Metapontum, a member of the Pythagorean school in ancient Greece (5th Century BC).
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Rational numbers were known to the ancient Egyptians, as well as other ancient cultures.
No. For example, 20.5 is irrational; indeed it was one of the first irrational numbers to be discovered.
The set of rational numbers includes all whole numbers, so SOME rational numbers will also be whole number. But not all rational numbers are whole numbers. So, as a rule, no, rational numbers are not whole numbers.
Rational numbers are numbers that can be written as a fraction. Irrational numbers cannot be expressed as a fraction. All natural numbers are rational.
6.6 is rational. Rational numbers are numbers that can be written as a fraction. Irrational numbers cannot be expressed as a fraction.
The set of rational numbers includes the set of natural numbers but they are not the same. All natural numbers are rational, not all rational numbers are natural.