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A repeating decimal or recurring decimal is a decimal representation of a number whose digits are eventually periodic (that is, after some place, the same sequence of digits is repeated forever); if this sequence consists only of zeros (that is if there is only a finite number of nonzero digits), the decimal is said to be terminating, and is not considered as repeating.
The repeating decimal commonly written as 0.999... represents exactly the same quantity as the number one. Despite having the appearance of representing a smaller number, 0.999... is a symbol for the number 1 in exactly the same way that 0.333... is an equivalent notation for the number represented by the fraction 1 ⁄ 3. [446]
For example, the following algorithm is a direct implementation to compute the function A(x) = (x−1) / (exp(x−1) − 1) which is well-conditioned at 1.0, [nb 12] however it can be shown to be numerically unstable and lose up to half the significant digits carried by the arithmetic when computed near 1.0.
Alternatively, the quick approximation 99/70 (≈ 1.41429) for the square root of two was frequently used before the common use of electronic calculators and computers. Despite having a denominator of only 70, it differs from the correct value by less than 1/10,000 (approx. 7.2 × 10 −5). Its simple continued fraction is periodic and given by:
However, most decimal fractions like 0.1 or 0.123 are infinite repeating fractions in base 2. and hence cannot be represented that way. Similarly, any decimal fraction a/10 m, such as 1/100 or 37/1000, can be exactly represented in fixed point with a power-of-ten scaling factor 1/10 n with any n ≥ m.
A vinculum can indicate the repetend of a repeating decimal value: 1 ⁄ 7 = 0. 142857 = 0.1428571428571428571... A vinculum can indicate the complex conjugate of a complex number: + ¯ = Logarithm of a number less than 1 can conveniently be represented using vinculum:
Stylistic impression of the repeating decimal 0.9999..., representing the digit 9 repeating infinitely. In mathematics, 0.999... (also written as 0. 9, 0.., or 0.(9)) is a repeating decimal that is an alternative way of writing the number 1.
To change a common fraction to decimal notation, do a long division of the numerator by the denominator (this is idiomatically also phrased as "divide the denominator into the numerator"), and round the result to the desired precision. For example, to change 1 / 4 to a decimal expression, divide 1 by 4 (" 4 into 1 "), to obtain exactly ...