Are you confused about the difference between a terminating and a non-terminating decimal? If so, this blog is for you. It will explain the basics of these two types of decimals, and offer some tips on how to use them correctly. You’ll also learn how to avoid common mistakes when working with decimals, so that your calculations always come out correctly. Finally, we’ll provide a few examples to help you understand the concepts better. So if you’re looking to learn more about decimal types, read on!
What is a Terminating Decimal?
A terminating decimal is a number that terminates (or has a final digit) in a certain place. For example, the number .9 can be written as 1.09, or 9.01. The last two digits always terminate in 0s because they are considered integers and not decimals.
Terminating Decimal Example
There is no fixed number of digits in a terminating decimal. In fact, there can be any number of digits, as long as they are terminated properly. For example, the following numbers all have four digits: 0.1, 1.2, 3.4, and 5.6
0 . 1
0 . 2
1 . 2
3 . 4
5 . 6
What is a Non Terminating Decimal?
A non terminating decimal (NTD) is a number that has an infinite supply and never reaches 0. That means it can be used to represent fractions, real numbers in scientific notation, and other irrational or infinite numbers.
Non Terminating Decimal Example
For example, 0.3333 can be represented as 3.3 NTDs (three times 1/10th of a decimal). This extra precision makes it easier to work with fractions and percentages and can result in faster computations.
For example, the number 1.23456789 could be written as .234 5789 or as 123 456789. The second form is using a NTD because the fractional part of the number gets truncated at the end due to how digits are treated in mathematical notation – they’re considered “whole” when placed before a decimal point but “broken” when placed after it.
Conclusion
The difference between the two terms is that a terminating decimal goes to zero while non terminating decimal keeps on going till its value becomes 0. Thus, if you want to get an accurate price of a product or calculate profit margin, then it’s best to use only a terminating decimal.
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