Natural numbers are also known as the counting numbers.
When we are counting, we go "1, 2, 3, ...". Watch the nursery rhyme video on the right to learn how to start counting. Note that we do not count from zero but we start from one.
Side note: In some countries, 0 is considered a natural number.
Whole Numbers
Whole numbers on the other hand do include the number zero. In the Mother Duck video on the left, poor mother duck has to slowly count down to zero as her baby ducks go missing.
Next: Learn more about special groups of natural numbers, Factors
or find out about another type of numbers: Real Numbers