The Lesson

A positive number is a number greater than zero.

Dictionary Definition

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a positive number as "numerically greater than zero."

Examples of Positive Numbers

A positive number is any number greater than zero. Positive numbers can be any type of number: whole numbers, fractions, or irrational numbers. Some of examples of positive numbers are given below:

How Are Positive Numbers Written?

Positive numbers will either have no sign or a plus sign ('+') in front of them. For example, the positive number two can be written as:

Positive Numbers on the Number Line

The image below shows the positive numbers on the number line. Positive numbers are to the right of 0:Note: 0 is not a positive number. Positive numbers can be fractional, so they can be between the numbers labelled.

Arithmetic With Positive Numbers

Two positive numbers added together give a positive number:
1 + 1 = 2
Two positive numbers multiplied together give a positive number:
2 × 2 = 4
Two positive numbers divided by each other give a positive number:
4 ÷ 2 = 2

Different Types of Positive Numbers

Any number greater than 0 is a positive number, whether the number is an integer or a fraction. The positive integers are the natural numbers:

Negative Numbers

A negative number is a number less than zero.

0 Is Not a Positive Number

0 is not a positive. Nor is it a negative number.