← ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

Whole numbers as a data type

A number with no fraction or decimal part, like 0, 7 or 250. We use whole numbers to count things, such as scores, lives or students. 3.5 is not a whole number.

Part of: ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6 — Representing Data with Numbers — Module 37, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 7–8 — Binary Number Representation — Module 4

Understanding Whole numbers as a data type in ACARA Digital Technologies Years 5–6

What it does: 28 is a count of students with no fraction or decimal part, so it is a whole number. Lives are counted one at a time, so they are whole numbers. Whole numbers are for counting. Names are text, which is a different data type. Zero is a whole number used for counting, and it means there are none left.

Common mistakes: Taking away 0.5 leaves a decimal. Lives are counted, so they stay whole numbers. It should be lives = lives - 1. You cannot have half a student. Counting students uses whole numbers, so the extra + 0.5 should be removed.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

Free printable worksheet with full answer key — or add this module to a class and your students practise it interactively.

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 73–84) and word search (Modules 73–104).

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Each concept is reinforced from every angle — learned, then applied, then tested.

Learning

Duo

Which one is a whole number?

77.5

Matches

lives = 3.5 # whole number

↓

3.5 has a decimal part, so it is not a whole number. Use 3 for lives.

Applying

Meanings

Term

whole number

Meaning

A number with no fraction or decimal part, like 0, 7 or 250. We use whole numbers to count things, such as scores, lives or students. 3.5 is not a whole number.

Practice

score ← 0

Testing

Gaps

print()

Check Answer

Spots

2lives = 3

3lives = lives - 0.5

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Quick Questions

1. Which one is a whole number?

A. 7 ✓

B. 7.5

A whole number has no fraction or decimal part. 7 is whole, but 7.5 has a decimal part.

2. Is 0 a whole number?

A. No, it is not a number

B. Yes, 0 is a whole number ✓

Zero is a whole number. It is what we use when we count nothing, like a score of 0.

3. A class has 24 students. Which data fits best?

A. 24 (a whole number) ✓

B. 24.5 (a decimal)

You can't have half a student, so we count students with whole numbers.

4. Which of these is NOT a whole number?

A. 3.5 ✓

B. 250

3.5 has a decimal part, so it is not a whole number. 250 is a whole number.

5. Your game character has some lives left. Which value makes sense?

A. 2.75 lives

B. 3 lives ✓

Lives are counted one at a time, so they are whole numbers.

Match the Pairs

score = 250 → Stores a whole number, 250, in a variable called score

lives = 0 → Zero is a whole number, so this means the player has no lives left

A whole number counts things like students in a class → students = 28

A number with a decimal part is not a whole number → height = 1.5

lives = 3.5 # whole number → 3.5 has a decimal part, so it is not a whole number. Use 3 for lives.

Zero is not a whole number → Wrong. Zero has no fraction or decimal part, so 0 is a whole number.

Key Term

whole number

A number with no fraction or decimal part, like 0, 7 or 250. We use whole numbers to count things, such as scores, lives or students. 3.5 is not a whole number.

Fill in the Blanks

1. students = 28 print(students)

Hint: Type the variable name that holds the number of students.

2. lives = 0 # no lives left

Hint: Type the whole number that means there is nothing left.

3. score = 10 score = score + 1 print(score)

Hint: Type the operator that adds one point to the score.

4. lives = 3 lives = lives - 1 print(lives)

Hint: Type the operator that takes one life away.

5. score = 250 print(score) # 250 is a whole number

Hint: Type the function name that shows a value on the screen.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A # lives are whole numbers

B lives = 3

C lives = lives - 0.5

D print(lives)

Line C — Taking away 0.5 leaves a decimal. Lives are counted, so they stay whole numbers. It should be lives = lives - 1.

Question 2

A # count the students

B boys = 11

C girls = 13

D total = boys + girls + 0.5

E print(total)

Line D — You cannot have half a student. Counting students uses whole numbers, so the extra + 0.5 should be removed.

Question 3

A score = 0

B points = '250'

C print(score + points)

Line B — Quote marks turn 250 into text. A whole number is typed with no quotes, so it should be points = 250.

Question 4

A # no goals scored yet

B goals = 'zero'

C print(goals)

Line B — Zero is a whole number, so we type the digit 0. The word 'zero' in quotes is text. It should be goals = 0.

Question 5

A cats = 3.5

B dogs = 2

C print(cats + dogs)

Line A — We count cats as whole numbers. 3.5 has a decimal part, so it is not a whole number. It should be cats = 3.

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