There are terminologies for natural numbers, whole numbers and so on. (If the meaning of the terms can be found, it becomes easier to understand. For natural numbers, the term "natural" refers to the naturally occurring set of numbers in nature like $2,3,4$ and not $-2$, $-3$, and $-4$).
But I didn't find any information about why the numerator is called "numerator" and denominator is called "denominator".
Is it just a simple terminology given by mathematicians (like "addition" in addition) or is there any special "meaning" behind these terms (like "natural" in natural numbers)?
Thanks for your time. If any doubt please comment.
Best Answer
In a fraction, such as two-fifths, "two" is the numerator, and "fifths" the denominator.
Numerator tells us "how many". The word is derived from the Latin "numerus" (number).
Denominator names the "things" we are counting. The word is derived from the Latin "denomino" (to name).