The greatest integer function (floor function) [x] gives the greatest integer ≤x — always rounding down, never toward zero (so [−6.3]=−7, not −6). It is piecewise-constant: f(x)=n for every x∈[n,n+1), giving a staircase graph with domain R and range the integers I. Key identities: x−1≤[x]<x always (sandwiching); [x+n]=[x]+n for any integer n (shifting by a whole number just carries straight through the floor); and [x]+[−x] equals 0 if x is itself an integer, or −1 otherwise.
The fractional part function {x}=x−[x] captures exactly what the floor throws away, always landing in [0,1) — so {x}=0 precisely characterises the integers, and x=[x]+{x} splits any real number into its integer and fractional halves. Its graph is a repeating sawtooth, resetting to 0 at every integer and climbing back up to just under 1. Key identities mirror the floor's: {x±n}={x} for integer n, and {x}+{−x} equals 0 if x∈I, or 1 otherwise. …