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> Pi, for example, cannot be written as a fraction. Pi cannot be written as a decimal either. Decimals _are_ a subset of the rationals. Any rational whose den
by jeffcutsinger 14y ago
> Pi, for example, cannot be written as a fraction.
Pi cannot be written as a decimal either.
Decimals _are_ a subset of the rationals. Any rational whose denominator has a prime factor other than 2 or 5 cannot be written using decimals.
- derleth 14y agoI don't think we're agreeing on the basic definitions, and until we do it's pointless to continue.
- VMG 14y agoUnder what definition of "decimal" is Pi a decimal number?
- derleth 14y agoWhen you use it as a very informal synonym for 'real', or as a short form for 'infinite decimal'. (This is even more understandable when you realize every decimal is an infinite decimal, and our convention of truncating an infinite string of zeroes has little mathematical reality.)