The term "irrational number" is not an explanation; the term is a definition. XYZ smart guy said, "My oh my, look at that number! Ain't it peculiar? I think I will call that kind of peculiarity "irrational."" Thus, XYZ, the first geek (probably), wasn't trying to understand why. He was just naming a peculiarity of the number that makes it different from another kind, like an "integer." If you want to know "why," you have to go back to pi as the relationship of two parts of a circle. And, I'm not even sure that gives you a why as much as a how! Ain't words fun?!?;P Zinko