Which of these quantities can NOT always be recorded as a whole number?

Class 6Whole NumbersWhole Numbers

AThe number of students present in a class
BThe number of pages in a book
CThe number of buses parked at a depot
DThe winter temperature in Shimla, in degrees Celsius

Step-by-Step Solution

Whole numbers are 0, 1, 2, 3, …, so they are never negative. Counts of students, pages and buses are always whole numbers, and 0 is allowed when there are none. But a Shimla winter temperature can drop below 0 degrees, giving a negative reading, which is not a whole number.

Answer: D) The winter temperature in Shimla, in degrees Celsius

Key idea: Closure: when an operation 'stays inside' the whole numbers

Adding two whole numbers always gives a whole number — addition is **closed** on whole numbers. Multiplying two whole numbers always gives a whole number — multiplication is **closed** too. But subtraction is **not** closed: 5 − 7 = −2, which is not a whole number. Division is also not closed: 7 ÷ 2 = 3.5, not a whole number. Closure is the property that lets us trust an operation never to take us 'outside' the world of whole numbers.

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