Rational and irrational numbers and number systems Online Course

Understanding Rational and Irrational Numbers in Business and Office Admin

Numbers are the foundation of every business—whether you’re balancing budgets in office administration, creating a pricing plan when learning how to start a business, or training under the Finance and Accounting Services Sector Education and Training Authority (FASSET).

One key concept many overlook? The difference between rational and irrational numbers—and how different number systems impact your daily decisions in the workplace.

This topic helps you understand how numbers behave, and why this knowledge matters in real-world admin and business tasks.

What Are Rational and Irrational Numbers?

Rational numbers are values you can express as a fraction (like ½, 3, or 0.75). They’re neat, measurable, and predictable—perfect for financial tasks and reporting.

Irrational numbers, on the other hand, go on forever without repeating (like √2 or π). They can’t be written as a simple fraction and often pop up in more complex maths.

In this course, you’ll learn to:

  • Identify rational and irrational numbers

  • Understand where and why they’re used

  • Apply this knowledge in business, admin, or data tasks

Having this foundation makes you more confident when dealing with calculations in Excel, reporting tools, and financial documentation.

Number Systems Explained: Binary, Decimal, and Beyond

From your calculator to your business software, everything is built on number systems. Understanding how systems like binary (base 2) or decimal (base 10) work will give you a huge advantage—especially in digital or admin-heavy environments.

You’ll explore:

  • Common number systems used in business and IT

  • How data is represented in systems like binary or hexadecimal

  • Conversions between number systems

  • Practical uses in office admin tools, databases, and finance apps

These skills are essential for anyone preparing for a career in admin, finance, or IT under FASSET-aligned programmes.

Using Rational Thinking in Admin and Business Calculations

Why does all this matter? Because in business, you’re always working with values, figures, and patterns. Understanding the types of numbers you’re dealing with helps you avoid mistakes, make better decisions, and work smarter—not harder.

Whether you’re:

  • Drafting an invoice

  • Checking a formula in Excel

  • Budgeting for a small business

  • Or training for a role in finance or admin

Knowing the difference between rational and irrational numbers, and how number systems work, adds depth to your skillset and supports your career growth.

What You’ll Learn in This Course

This course is designed for young learners stepping into office, finance, or entrepreneurial careers. You’ll come away with:

  • A solid understanding of rational vs irrational numbers

  • Confidence in working across number systems (decimal, binary, etc.)

  • Practical examples linked to business and admin tasks

  • Skills that support FASSET training outcomes

  • A strong maths foundation that boosts your career readiness

Overview

This unit standard will be useful to people who aim to achieve recognition at some level in Further Education and Training or to meet the Fundamental requirement of a wide range of qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework.

People credited with this unit standard are able to:
Use and analyse computational tools and strategies, and make estimates and approximations
Demonstrate understanding of numbers and relationships among numbers and number systems, and represent numbers in different ways.

Course Content

  • Computational tools are used efficiently and correctly and solutions obtained are verified in terms of the context or problem
  • Algorithms are executed appropriately in calculations
  • Solutions involving irrational numbers are reported or recorded to degrees of accuracy appropriate to the problem
  • Measurements are reported or recorded in accordance with the degree of accuracy of the instrument used
  • Estimates and approximations are used appropriately in terms of the situation and distinctions are made between the appropriate use of estimates versus approximations
  • The roles and limitations of particular algorithms are identified in terms of efficiency and the complexity of the algebraic formulation
  • The viability of selected algorithms is verified and justified in terms of appropriateness to context and efficiency
  • Notation for expressing numbers is consistent with mathematical conventions
  • Methods of calculation and approximation are appropriate to the problem types
  • Numbers and quantities are represented using rational and irrational numbers as appropriate to the context.
  • Scientific notation is used appropriately and consistently with conventions. Situations for the use of scientific notation are provided and described in terms of advantages
  • Conversions between numbers expressed in different ways are accurate
  • Non-accredited: Short course only  
  • Duration: 1h 30m
  • Delivery: Classroom/Online/Blended
  • Access Period: 12 Months 
SpecCon Short Course
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