Re:0.30000000000000004
by such_a_casual on Friday November 13, 2015 @11:34AM
(#10560695)
In the fraction 1/10, the denominator is 10.
The prime factors of 10 are 2 and 5.
Binary does not contain the prime factor of 5 necessary to represent 1/10 cleanly as a decimal. It only contains the 2.
Similarly, the prime factors for 1/6 would be 3 and 2. In a base 10 number system, you only have the 2. So you end up with a repeating decimal (0.1666666).
Binary does not contain the prime factor of 5 necessary to represent 1/10 cleanly as a decimal. It only contains the 2.
Similarly, the prime factors for 1/6 would be 3 and 2. In a base 10 number system, you only have the 2. So you end up with a repeating decimal (0.1666666).