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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 cle
by such_a_casual 11y ago
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).