Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A decimal separator is a symbol that separates the integer part from the fractional part of a number written in decimal form. Different countries officially designate different symbols for use as the separator. The choice of symbol can also affect the choice of symbol for the thousands separator used in digit grouping.
This form of fraction remained in use for centuries. [27] [30] Positional decimal fractions appear for the first time in a book by the Arab mathematician Abu'l-Hasan al-Uqlidisi written in the 10th century. [31] The Jewish mathematician Immanuel Bonfils used decimal fractions around 1350 but did not develop any notation to represent them. [32]
These two representations are identical, unless x is a decimal fraction of the form . In this case, in the first decimal representation, all are zero for >, and, in the second representation, all 9. (see 0.999... for details).
The choice between fraction and decimal notation is often a matter of taste and context. Fractions are used most often when the denominator is relatively small. By mental calculation, it is easier to multiply 16 by 3 ⁄ 16 than to do the same calculation using the fraction
The continued fraction representation for a real number is finite if and only if it is a rational number. In contrast, the decimal representation of a rational number may be finite, for example 137 / 1600 = 0.085625, or infinite with a repeating cycle, for example 4 / 27 = 0.148148148148...
Zero (0.0) is represented in normalized form as all zero bits, which is arithmetically the value +0.0 16 × 16 0 − 64 = +0 × 16 −64 ≈ +0.000000 × 10 −79 = 0. Given a fraction of all-bits zero, any combination of positive or negative sign bit and a non-zero biased exponent will yield a value arithmetically equal to zero.
Entry of mixed fractions involves using decimal points to separate the parts. For example, the sequence 3. 1 5. 1 6 →cm converts 3 + 15 ⁄ 16 inches to 10.0 cm (approximately). The calculator may be set to automatically display values as mixed fractions by toggling the FDISP key. The maximum denominator may be specified using the /c function.