whole-number variable

noun

UK /həʊl ˈnʌmbə ˈveəriəbl/

US /hoʊl ˈnʌmbər ˈveriəbl/

A letter that stands for a counting number like 1, 2, or 3.

In the equation n + 2 = 5, n is a whole-number variable.

SYNONYMS

integer variable counting-number variable natural-number variable discrete variable

RELATED WORDS

algebra equation constant expression unknown

OTHER MEANINGS

2. A symbol in a math problem that can only be a positive whole number or zero.

The whole-number variable x can be 0, 1, 2, and so on.

3. A placeholder in a formula that takes values like 0, 1, 2, 3 without fractions.

We used a whole-number variable to count the apples.

4. A letter used in computer code to store a non-negative integer.

The program used a whole-number variable to track the score.