Is 1/8 a terminating decimal?

Here we will show you how to determine if 1/8 is a terminating decimal or a non-terminating decimal.

A terminating decimal is a decimal number that has a finite number of decimals and does not go on indefinitely. We want to know if the decimal number you get when you divide the fraction 1/8 (1 ÷ 8) is terminating or non-terminating.

Here are the steps to determine if 1/8 is a terminating decimal number:

1) Find the denominator of 1/8 in its lowest form.
The greatest common factor (GCF) of 1 and 8 is 1. Convert 1/8 to its simplest form by dividing the numerator and denominator by its GCF:

		1 ÷ 1
		8 ÷ 1

		1
		8

Thus, the denominator of 1/8 in its lowest form is 8.

2) Find the prime factors of the answer in Step 1.
The prime factors of 8 are all the prime numbers that you multiply together to get 8. The prime factors of 8 are:

2 x 2 x 2

3) Determine if 1/8 is terminating
A fraction is a terminating decimal if the prime factors of the denominator of the fraction in its lowest form only contain 2s and/or 5s or no prime factors at all. This is the case here, which means that our answer is as follows:

1/8
= terminating

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