Is 3/9 a terminating decimal?

Here we will show you how to determine if 3/9 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 3/9 (3 ÷ 9) is terminating or non-terminating.

Here are the steps to determine if 3/9 is a terminating decimal number:

1) Find the denominator of 3/9 in its lowest form.
The greatest common factor (GCF) of 3 and 9 is 3. Convert 3/9 to its simplest form by dividing the numerator and denominator by its GCF:

		3 ÷ 3
		9 ÷ 3

		1
		3

Thus, the denominator of 3/9 in its lowest form is 3.

2) Find the prime factors of the answer in Step 1.
The prime factors of 3 are all the prime numbers that you multiply together to get 3. The prime factors of 3 are:

3

3) Determine if 3/9 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:

3/9
= non-terminating

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

Is 3/10 a terminating decimal?
Is the next fraction on our list a terminating decimal? Go here to find out!