decimal fraction
Quick Summary
A decimal fraction is a number expressed in base 10, where the denominator is a power of 10. These fractions are typically written using a decimal point. For example, 0.25 represents 25/100, and 0.025 represents 25/1000.12
Any fraction can be converted into a decimal form by dividing the numerator by the denominator. This conversion may result in a terminating decimal or one where digits repeat infinitely. Decimal fractions are contrasted with common fractions, which have integers for both the numerator and denominator.34
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
Simon Stevin…elementary and thorough account of decimal fractions and their daily use. Although he did not invent decimal fractions and his notation was rather unwieldy, he established their use in day-to-day mathematics. He declared that the universal introduction of decimal coinage, measures, and weights would be only a question of time.…
Read More…elementary and thorough account of decimal fractions and their daily use. Although he did not invent decimal fractions and his notation was rather unwieldy, he established their use in day-to-day mathematics. He declared that the universal introduction of decimal coinage, measures, and weights would be only a question of time.…
Read More
mathematicsNumerical calculation…pamphlet La Disme (1585), introduced decimal fractions to Europe and showed how to extend the principles of Hindu-Arabic arithmetic to calculation with these numbers. Stevin emphasized the utility of decimal arithmetic “for all accounts that are encountered in the affairs of men,” and he explained in an appendix how it…
Read More…pamphlet La Disme (1585), introduced decimal fractions to Europe and showed how to extend the principles of Hindu-Arabic arithmetic to calculation with these numbers. Stevin emphasized the utility of decimal arithmetic “for all accounts that are encountered in the affairs of men,” and he explained in an appendix how it…
Read More
