number, figure and digit?

As I get it,

figure, digit = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0

number = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 0, but also 11, 12, 13 ..... 9999 etc

I'm not a teacher, but I hope it makes at least some sense.

Usually number refers to an integer, digit refers to a single numeral and figure refers to a float.

Hi Bokeh,

What do you mean by a float?

Clive

Hi Clive,

A float () is a computer science term for a number with a radix point (more commonly known as a decimal point when dealing with base 10 numbers). What's the laymans term for a float?

Hi,

If you mean eg 1 mile = 1.6 kms, most people would call it a decimal point.

However, I wouldn't say that the term 'figure' can only be used for numbers involving decimals.

In practice, I think I tend to think of a figure as a number that represents something, eg $10,000 or 857 miles.

Best wishes, Clive

Hi,

Look like we all agree that digit = {0, 1, ..., 9}.

In terms of a 6-digit number or a 6-figure salary, both digit and figure are the same. However, we say government figures, not government digits. In this case, a figure is a symbol that represents a measurement (amount, quantity, distance).

The term number is similar to

I agree with Hoa. The meanings overlap. And forget about "float", it's a technical word that is only used in specific contexts. If you already know what it means, you definitely know when to use it, otherwise don't learn it at all.

CliveHowever, I wouldn't say that the term 'figure' can only be used for numbers involving decimals.
In practice, I think I tend to think of a figure as a number that represents something, eg $10,000 or 857 miles.Those are floats, it's just that the figures you have chosen have a zero modulo, i.e. it is possible to have a value of 1.25 or 1 1/4 miles. On the other han

Hi,

This article should give us some idea of what a real / floating-point number is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_point