The operations of positive integers primarily include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. According to the reference, these operations can be performed on positive integers.
Basic Operations
Positive integers, also known as natural numbers (excluding zero), are the building blocks for many mathematical concepts. Understanding the basic operations we can perform with them is crucial.
Addition
Addition combines two or more positive integers to find their sum.
- Example: 3 + 7 = 10
Subtraction
Subtraction finds the difference between two positive integers. Note that the result of subtraction may not always be a positive integer (e.g., 3 - 7 = -4).
- Example: 10 - 4 = 6
Multiplication
Multiplication is a repeated addition of a positive integer by itself a certain number of times.
- Example: 4 x 5 = 20 (which is the same as 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4)
Division
Division splits a positive integer into equal groups or determines how many times one positive integer is contained within another. Similar to subtraction, the result of division may not always be a positive integer (e.g., 7 / 2 = 3.5).
- Example: 15 / 3 = 5
Summary
The basic operations applicable to positive integers, as stated in the reference, are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.