nonfractional

Nonfractional is an adjective used to describe quantities or numbers that do not have a fractional component. In mathematics, a number is nonfractional if its fractional part is zero, which means the number is an integer. For example, 0, 1, -5, and 100 are nonfractional; 3.5 and 1/2 are fractional.

In practice, nonfractional values are common in counting, indexing, and currency units when fractional parts are not allowed, and in programming where the data type is an integer. Some contexts also treat decimal representations that effectively correspond to integers as nonfractional, such as 2.0, though many texts simply use the terms integer or whole number.

Notes on mathematical meaning: a nonfractional number is one whose fractional part is zero. This set includes all integers, whether negative, zero, or positive. Nonfractional contrasts with fractional numbers, which have a nonzero fractional part, such as 3.5 or -2.75. Any nonfractional number is rational (in fact, any integer is a rational number), but nonfractional emphasizes the absence of a fractional component rather than the broader properties of rationality.

Terminology: the term nonfractional is less common in formal mathematics; more typical terms are integer or whole number. It may appear in data validation, technical writing, or contexts where it is important to stress that a value should not carry a fractional part. See also integer, fractional part, decimal representation.