1. The problem is to understand what an integer is. 2. An integer is a whole number that can be positive, negative, or zero. 3. Integers do not include fractions or decimals. 4. Examples of integers are $-3$, $0$, $7$, and $42$. 5. Integers are used in many areas of math to count, order, and perform operations without fractions. 6. In summary, integers are the set $\{..., -3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2, 3, ...\}$ which includes all whole numbers and their negatives.