how do you know how many decimal places a terminating decimal will have
Any rational number (that is, a fraction in lowest terms) can be written as either a terminating decimal or a repeating decimal. Just divide the numerator by the denominator. If you end up with a remainder of 0, then you have a terminating decimal.Otherwise, the remainders will begin to repeat after some point, and you have a repeating decimal. Example: Convert the fraction 5/8 to a decimal. The division is as follows: So, 5/8 = 0.625.This is a terminating decimal. Example: Convert the fraction 7/12 to a decimal.The division is as follows: So: This is a repeating decimal. The bar over the number, in this case 3, indicates the number or block of numbers that repeat unendingly. See also Converting Repeating Decimals to Fractions.his is a terminating decimal. Example: Convert the fraction 7/12 to a decimal. The division is as follows: So: This is a repeating decimal. The bar over the number, in this case 3, indicates the number or block of numbers that repeat unendingly.