natural number
noun
1
: the number 1 or any number (such as 3, 12, 432) obtained by adding 1 to it one or more times : a positive integer
2
: any of the positive integers together with 0 : a nonnegative integer
Examples of natural number in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The problem is that the prime numbers do not seem to follow a simple pattern and instead appear randomly among the natural numbers.
—
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 1 July 2024
Accordingly, is also divisible by 2: = 2 where is a natural number.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2024
All other natural numbers can be broken down into their prime divisors, which makes prime numbers the basic building blocks of the mathematical world.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 7 June 2024
The exclamation point denotes an arithmetic operation known as a factorial, which multiplies all natural numbers up to the number before the factorial.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023
The nth prime number is the smallest natural number x for which f(1) + f(2) + ...
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023
In this case, the natural numbers no longer split into two camps but into nine.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2023
While mussels and barnacles rebounded to natural numbers within a few years of the spill, not all species were so lucky.
—J. Besl, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2023
So getting outscored might seem like a natural number for Denver based on the number of players Phoenix uses, but not really.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2023
Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 1 July 2024
Accordingly, is also divisible by 2: = 2 where is a natural number.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 13 June 2024
All other natural numbers can be broken down into their prime divisors, which makes prime numbers the basic building blocks of the mathematical world.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 7 June 2024
The exclamation point denotes an arithmetic operation known as a factorial, which multiplies all natural numbers up to the number before the factorial.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023
The nth prime number is the smallest natural number x for which f(1) + f(2) + ...
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 16 Nov. 2023
In this case, the natural numbers no longer split into two camps but into nine.
—Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 24 Oct. 2023
While mussels and barnacles rebounded to natural numbers within a few years of the spill, not all species were so lucky.
—J. Besl, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 June 2023
So getting outscored might seem like a natural number for Denver based on the number of players Phoenix uses, but not really.
—Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 8 May 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'natural number.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near natural number
Cite this Entry
“Natural number.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/natural%20number. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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