Is 15/72 a terminating decimal?

Here we will show you how to determine if 15/72 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 15/72 (15 ÷ 72) is terminating or non-terminating.

Here are the steps to determine if 15/72 is a terminating decimal number:

1) Find the denominator of 15/72 in its lowest form.
The greatest common factor (GCF) of 15 and 72 is 3. Convert 15/72 to its simplest form by dividing the numerator and denominator by its GCF:

		15 ÷ 3
		72 ÷ 3

		5
		24

Thus, the denominator of 15/72 in its lowest form is 24.

2) Find the prime factors of the answer in Step 1.
The prime factors of 24 are all the prime numbers that you multiply together to get 24. The prime factors of 24 are:

2 x 2 x 2 x 3

3) Determine if 15/72 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 not the case here, which means that our answer is as follows:

15/72
= non-terminating

Terminating Decimal Calculator
Enter another fraction to determine if it is a terminating decimal.

Is 15/73 a terminating decimal?
Is the next fraction on our list a terminating decimal? Go here to find out!