irrational
Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Etymology
From ancient Greece circa 500 B.C. "Irrational" originally meant only that a number could not be expressed as a ratio. But for the pythagoreans it came to mean something threatening, a hint that their world view might not make sense, which is today the other meaning of "irrational".
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
irrational (comparative more irrational, superlative most irrational)
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Positive |
Comparative |
Superlative |
- Not rational; unfounded or nonsensical.
- an irrational decision
- (mathematics) (no comparative or superlative) Of a real number, that cannot be written as the ratio of two integers.
- The number π is irrational.
[edit] Derived terms
[edit] Translations
unfounded or nonsensical
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mathematics: of a number
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Translations to be checked
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[edit] Noun
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Singular |
Plural |
irrational (plural irrationals)
- A real number that can not be expressed as the quotient of two integers, an irrational number.
- the quotient of two irrationals a and b is a rational if and only if there is an integer n>0 and an integer m such that a*n = b*m
[edit] Translations
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