Which type of number can be expressed as a ratio of two integers?

Rational numbers are defined as numbers that can be expressed as the quotient or ratio of two integers, where the denominator is not zero. This means that any number that can be put in the form of ( \frac{a}{b} ), with ( a ) and ( b ) being integers and ( b \neq 0 ), qualifies as a rational number.

For example, the number 3 can be represented as ( \frac{3}{1} ), and the number 0.5 can be expressed as ( \frac{1}{2} ). Rational numbers include integers, fractions, and finite or repeating decimals.

In contrast, whole numbers are a subset of integers that do not include negative numbers or fractions, while irrational numbers cannot be expressed as the ratio of two integers; they have non-repeating, non-terminating decimal expansions (like ( \sqrt{2} ) or ( \pi )). Complex numbers involve both a real and an imaginary part, generally expressed in the form ( a + bi ), where ( a ) and ( b ) are real numbers, and ( i ) is the imaginary unit, again not fitting the definition of a ratio of two integers