Difference Between Natural and Whole Numbers

Natural numbers start from 1 and increase by 1 consecutively, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, …, continuing without end. The other name for natural numbers is counting numbers, as they are used for counting objects. A set of natural numbers is represented as:
N = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}

Whole numbers start from 0 and continue as 1, 2, 3, and so on. They are commonly used in everyday mathematical tasks such as counting. They are also used for solving basic problems involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division. A set of whole numbers is written as: 
W = {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, …}

In mathematics, natural and whole numbers are fundamental concepts. Natural and whole numbers have similarities, but they also differ in some ways. In this section, we will learn the difference between natural and whole numbers. 
 

The concepts of natural numbers and whole numbers are used in various real-life situations, such as counting objects, measuring scores, and representing empty numbers.

• Sports Ranking and Scores:

While ranking the players in a tournament, positions like 1st, 2nd, 3rd are used. There is no mention of 0th place. We use natural numbers for rankings. When it comes to scoring in some sports, a team can have 0 points at the beginning of a game. In this case, we use whole numbers to represent the score, since whole numbers include 0.

• Programming and Indexing:

In some situations, like making a numbered list, the count often starts from 1, which is based on natural numbers. In the most programming languages, arrays and lists start counting from 0. This is called zero-based indexing, where whole numbers are used to represent each position in the list.

• Phone Number Digits:

Phone numbers consist of digits and may begin with 0. However, in some countries, area codes or country codes begin with 0. For example, a number like 0987432413 starts with a leading zero, showing that 0 can be useful. Here, whole numbers are used to write the country codes.