Tricks : What is a Recurring Decimal & Not Recurring Decimal ?
Recurring Decimals (āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ): A recurring decimal is a decimal number in which one or more digits repeat forever after the decimal point. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻžāϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āĻāĻŋāĻšā§āύ⧰ āĻĒāĻŋāĻāϤ āĻāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻāĻžāϧāĻŋāĻ āĻ āĻāĻ āĻ āύāύā§āϤāĻāĻžāϞ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšā§ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§, āϤāĻžāĻ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āĻŦā§āϞāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
Major Points : āĻŽā§āĻā§āϝ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧāϏāĻŽā§āĻš
- A recurring decimal repeats a fixed pattern infinitely. (āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻāϤ āĻāĻ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāώā§āĻ āĻā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋ āĻ āύāύā§āϤāĻāĻžāϞ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
- It is non-terminating but repeating. (āĻ āĻļā§āώ āύā§āĻšā§ā§ąāĻž (non-terminating) āĻāĻŋāύā§āϤ⧠āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ (repeating)āĨ¤)
- Every recurring decimal can be written as a fraction (rational number). (āĻĒā§ā§°āϤāĻŋāĻā§ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻāĻ āĻāĻā§āύāĻžāĻāĻļ (rational number) āĻšāĻŋāĻāĻžāĻĒā§ āϞāĻŋāĻāĻŋāĻŦ āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŋāĨ¤)
- The repeating part is shown with a bar Ė above digits or ( ) . (āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻ āĻāĻļāĻā§ āĻ āĻāĻā§° āĻāĻĒā§°āϤ āĻŦāĻžā§° ( ‾ ) āĻĻāĻŋ āĻĻā§āĻā§āĻā§ąāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤_
āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: Ex : i. 0.(3) → 0.33333… , ii. 0.(12)→ 0.121212… iii. 5.(42) → 5.424242…
Types of Decimals / āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻā§° āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāĻžā§°
1. Terminating Decimal (Ends) / āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ
A decimal number that ends after some digits. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ āĻāĻā§° āĻĒāĻŋāĻāϤ āĻļā§āώ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
Ex / āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 0.25, 0.75, 2.4
2. Non-terminating Decimal (Does not end) / āĻ āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ (āĻļā§āώ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ)
A decimal number that continues forever. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻā§āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻ āĻļā§āώ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
(a) Repeating / Recurring Decimal / āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ
The digits repeat in a fixed pattern. (āĻ āĻāĻāϏāĻŽā§āĻš āĻāĻ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāώā§āĻ āĻā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
Example / āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 0.181818….0.(18)
(b) Non-repeating Decimal / āĻ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻ āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ
The digits never repeat in any pattern. (āĻ āĻāĻāϏāĻŽā§āĻš āĻā§āύ⧠āĻā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
Example / āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 3.1415926…
Not Recurring Decimal (no digit repeats) : A not recurring decimal is a decimal number in which no digit repeats in a fixed pattern.
Major Points
- Digits do NOT repeat.
- It can be:
(A) Terminating → ends
(B) Non-terminating but non-repeating → goes on forever but no pattern
Example / āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 3.1415926…
Ex
1. Terminating (ends)
- 0.5
- 0.75
- 3.125
2. Non-terminating but non-repeating
- 0.101001000100001…
- √2 = 1.414213562…
Types of Decimals / āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻā§° āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāĻžā§°
1. Recurring Decimal (āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ)
- Meaning: Digits repeat in a fixed pattern.(āĻ āĻāĻāϏāĻŽā§āĻš āĻāĻ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāώā§āĻ āĻā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
- Ex 0.272727… (27 keeps repeating)
2. Not Recurring Decimal (āĻ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ)
- Meaning: No digit repeats in a fixed pattern. (āĻ āĻāĻāϏāĻŽā§āĻš āĻā§āύ⧠āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāώā§āĻ āĻā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
- Ex: 0.47
3. Terminating Decimal (āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ)
- Meaning: The decimal stops after a limited number of digits.
- Ex 1.25
4. Non-terminating Decimal (āĻ āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ)
- Meaning: The decimal does not stop and continues forever.
- Ex: 3.14…
Tricks
1. To check if a decimal is recurring → look for repeating digits. (āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻ āĻāĻ āĻāĻā§ āύ⧠āύāĻžāĻ āĻāĻžāĻāĻāĨ¤)
Ex: 0.727272… = recurring.
2. To convert recurring decimals to fractions:
- 1-digit repeating → divide by 9
- 2-digit repeating → divide by 99
- 3-digit repeating → divide by 999
3. If there is a non-repeating part before repeating starts:
- Multiply 9’s with 10’s
- Rule:
Numerator = (all decimal digits) – (non-recurring digits)
Denominator = 9 for each repeating + 0 for each non-repeating
Important Rule (Exam Trick):
1. A fraction is recurring if the denominator has prime factors other than 2 or 5 (āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻā§āύ⧠āĻāĻā§āύāĻžāĻāĻļā§° āĻšā§°ā§° āĻŽā§āϞāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻŖāύā§āϝāĻŧāĻ 2 āĻŦāĻž 5 ā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋā§°ā§ āĻāύ āϏāĻāĻā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāĻā§, āϤā§āύā§āϤ⧠āϏā§āĻ āĻāĻā§āύāĻžāĻāĻļā§ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ (recurring decimal) āĻā§āĻĒāύā§āύ āĻā§°ā§āĨ¤)
Ex:
i. 1/3 (has 3 → recurring)
ii. 2/7 (has 7 → recurring)
iii. 5/6 (has 3 → recurring)
2. A fraction is NOT recurring if its denominator has only 2 or 5 (āϝāĻĻāĻŋ āĻā§āύ⧠āĻāĻā§āύāĻžāĻāĻļā§° āĻšā§°ā§° āĻŽā§āϞāĻŋāĻ āĻā§āĻŖāύā§āϝāĻŧāĻ āĻā§ā§ąāϞ 2 āĻŦāĻž 5 āĻšāϝāĻŧ, āϤā§āύā§āϤ⧠āϏā§āĻ āĻāĻā§āύāĻžāĻāĻļ āĻĒā§āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦā§āϤā§āϤ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)
Ex:
i. 1/4 → terminating (only 2)
ii. 3/20 → terminating (2, 5)
iii. 7/8 → terminating (2)
Summary
- Recurring → repeats forever → can be fractions like 1/3, 2/7
- Not recurring → no repeating pattern → can be terminating or irrational
- Terminating → stops
- Non-terminating repeating → recurring
- Non-terminating non-repeating → irrational (like √2)