Difference between Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
A lot of people have used abstract numbers like tally marks to keep note of time since the old timers. Ordinary and cardinal numbers are part of “Set Theory,” created by Georg Cantor in 1897 to categorize sets and account for infinite sequences. Cardinal numbers are 1, 2, 3 and ordinal numbers are 1st, 2nd, 3rd. A lot of keys differences can be found from that. Be aware of that fact that mathematical operations can be performed on cardinal numbers, and certainly not on ordinal numbers. This is because both numbers are quite different in nature and have distinguishing features.
Instructions
-
1
Cardinal numbers
Western digits more commonly known as Hindi Arabic go back to at least the fifth century in Rome was used on an Abacus the very first time. Cardinal numbers are used to quantify things like as to tell “how many” there are of a certain thing. On the other hand, they do are not given in an order. They can also become ordinal numbers by putting them in a specific list. For instance, if there is a total of 3 cats and three will be the cardinal number. If you say that the third cast is black, this will change the cardinal number into the ordinal number. Moreover, you should know that they have their own set of Greek derived and Latin derived prefixes. Cardinal prefixes consist of semi (meaning half or partial in Latin), tri (meaning three in Greek and Latin), hemi (which is half in Greek) and hexa (that is six in Greek).
-
2
Ordinal numbers
They are very different from cardinal numbers and cannot be quantified into anything. Ordinal numbers are used to mark order or placement of things. If a runner is third in a race, then “third” would be the ordinal number. You should know that cardinal numbers can be changed into ordinal numbers as well, but the exact opposite is not possible. This is because they are not sums but place indicators. We come back to the example of the three cats and the third cat being black. Using the ordinal number three, would not make it a cardinal number. For instance, by suggesting the third cat is black, the ordinal number will not change into a cardinal number. They also have a set of Latin derived and Greek derived prefixes like cardinal numbers. However, they are very different to cardinal numbers in all respects.
