Final answer:
The numbers √3 or √7 are classified as irrational numbers because they cannot be written as a ratio of two integers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Numbers like √3 or √7, which cannot be expressed as a ratio of two integers, belong in the category of irrational numbers. Unlike rational numbers, which are numbers that can be written as a fraction of two integers, irrational numbers have non-repeating, non-terminating decimal expansions. Whole numbers and integers are categories that include numbers without fractional or decimal parts, and all integers are whole numbers that can be positive, negative, or zero. Therefore, √3 or √7 do not fit into the categories of whole numbers or integers.