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Terminating versus Non-Terminating

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A fraction, when converted to a decimal, will do one of two things:

  • Terminate (red means stop)
    • The decimals stop at some point.
  • Not Terminate (green means go)
    • The decimals go on forever, like the crazy fools they are.

Examples (Terminating)

$$\frac{1}{2}=0.5$$

$$\frac{5}{16}=0.3125$$

Examples (Non-Terminating)

$$\frac{1}{3}=0.3333...$$

$$\frac{2}{7}=0.285714...$$

It's Not Just Fractions

Irrational numbers are also non-terminating. Take any irrational number and its decimals will go on forever. Look at the two examples below:

$$\pi = 3.141592653589...$$

$$\sqrt{2}=1.414213562373...$$