Tricks : What is a Recurring Decimal & Not Recurring Decimal ?


Recurring Decimals (āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•)recurring decimal is a decimal number in which one or more digits repeat forever after the decimal point. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻžāϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āϚāĻŋāĻšā§āύ⧰ āĻĒāĻŋāĻ›āϤ āĻāĻ• āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻ•āĻžāϧāĻŋāĻ• āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ• āĻ…āύāĻ¨ā§āϤāĻ•āĻžāϞ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšā§ˆ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇, āϤāĻžāĻ• āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦā§‹āϞāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Major Points : āĻŽā§āĻ–ā§āϝ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧāϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš



  1. A recurring decimal repeats a fixed pattern infinitely. (āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•āϤ āĻāĻ• āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ†ā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋ āĻ…āύāĻ¨ā§āϤāĻ•āĻžāϞ āϧ⧰āĻŋ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)

  2. It is non-terminating but repeating. (āχ āĻļ⧇āώ āύ⧋āĻšā§‹ā§ąāĻž (non-terminating) āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ (repeating)āĨ¤)

  3. Every recurring decimal can be written as a fraction (rational number). (āĻĒā§ā§°āϤāĻŋāĻŸā§‹ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•āĻ• āĻ­āĻ—ā§āύāĻžāĻ‚āĻļ (rational number) āĻšāĻŋāϚāĻžāĻĒ⧇ āϞāĻŋāĻ–āĻŋāĻŦ āĻĒāĻžā§°āĻŋāĨ¤)

  4. The repeating part is shown with a bar  Ė…  above digits  or ( ) . (āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻ…āĻ‚āĻļāĻŸā§‹ āĻ…āĻ‚āϕ⧰ āĻ“āĻĒā§°āϤ āĻŦāĻžā§° (  ‾ ) āĻĻāĻŋ āĻĻ⧇āϖ⧁āĻ“ā§ąāĻž āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤_


āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: Ex : i. 0.(3) → 0.33333… , ii. 0.(12)→ 0.121212… iii. 5.(42) → 5.424242…


Types of Decimals / āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāϕ⧰ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻ•āĻžā§°


1. Terminating Decimal (Ends) / āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•


A decimal number that ends after some digits. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻ…āĻ‚āϕ⧰ āĻĒāĻŋāĻ›āϤ āĻļ⧇āώ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Ex / āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 0.25, 0.75, 2.4


2. Non-terminating Decimal (Does not end) / āĻ…āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• (āĻļ⧇āώ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ)


A decimal number that continues forever. (āϝāĻŋ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āϕ⧇āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻžāĻ“ āĻļ⧇āώ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


(a) Repeating / Recurring Decimal / āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻŦāĻž āφāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•


The digits repeat in a fixed pattern. (āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ•āϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš āĻāĻ• āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ†ā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Example / āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ: 0.181818….0.(18)


(b) Non-repeating Decimal / āĻ…āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻ…āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•


The digits never repeat in any pattern. (āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ•āϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ†ā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āύāĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)


Example / āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°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 / āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°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 / āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāϕ⧰ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻ•āĻžā§°


1. Recurring Decimal (āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•)



  • Meaning: Digits repeat in a fixed pattern.(āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ•āϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš āĻāĻ• āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ†ā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤)

  • Ex 0.272727… (27 keeps repeating)


2. Not Recurring Decimal (āĻ…āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•)



  • Meaning: No digit repeats in a fixed pattern. (āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ•āϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āύāĻŋā§°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ†ā§°ā§āĻšāĻŋāϤ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§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. (āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻ…āĻ‚āĻ• āφāϛ⧇ āύ⧇ āύāĻžāχ āϚāĻžāĻ“āĻ•āĨ¤)


Ex: 0.727272… = recurring.


2. To convert recurring decimals to fractions:



  • 1-digit repeating → divide by

  •  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 āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ­āĻ—ā§āύāĻžāĻ‚āĻļā§° āĻšā§°ā§° āĻŽā§ŒāϞāĻŋāĻ• āϗ⧁āĻŖāύ⧀āϝāĻŧāĻ• 2 āĻŦāĻž 5 ā§° āĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋ⧰⧇ āφāύ āϏāĻ‚āĻ–ā§āϝāĻž āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇, āϤ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϤ⧇ āϏ⧇āχ āĻ­āĻ—ā§āύāĻžāĻ‚āĻļ⧇ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻļāĻŽāĻŋāĻ• (recurring decimal) āĻ‰ā§ŽāĻĒāĻ¨ā§āύ āϕ⧰⧇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 āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ­āĻ—ā§āύāĻžāĻ‚āĻļā§° āĻšā§°ā§° āĻŽā§ŒāϞāĻŋāĻ• āϗ⧁āĻŖāύ⧀āϝāĻŧāĻ• āĻ•ā§‡ā§ąāϞ 2 āĻŦāĻž 5 āĻšāϝāĻŧ, āϤ⧇āĻ¨ā§āϤ⧇ āϏ⧇āχ āĻ­āĻ—ā§āύāĻžāĻ‚āĻļ āĻĒ⧁āύ⧰āĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§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)