If the numbers after the decimals don't stop anywhere (like the square root of 2), than its not exact is it?
2006-09-23 15:42:23 · 8 answers · asked by Bob 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Mathematics
It never ends, so it is not exact. It is like if you had a number between 1.3 and 1.4, and it was 1.3549394030949390493....you would never know where it was, because it never ended...so you could never pinpoint it.
2006-09-23 15:45:26 · answer #1 · answered by smarti 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋
numbers like pi and e and square root of 2 are exact, but we have no way to express them exactly using decimals. They have an exact location on the number line.
2006-09-23 17:50:17 · answer #2 · answered by banjuja58 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well the square root of 2 has an exact value, but any finite decimal representation of that value is not exact.
2006-09-23 15:50:37 · answer #3 · answered by Computer Guy 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
To be irrational:
The numbers must never end
The numbers must never repeat
example: square root of 2, as you said is 1.4142135623730950488016887242097
Notice how it keeps going, and it never repeats.
however, the decimal for 1/33 is 0.03030303030303030303030303030303
The decimals begin to repeat
To turn any repeating decimal into a fraction is just an algebra problem. (shortening them to make easier to see)
x = 0.030303
100x = 3.030303
100x - x = 3.030303 - 0.030303
99x = 3
divide both sides by 99
x = 3/99 which reduces to 1/33
2006-09-23 16:00:47 · answer #4 · answered by Ray M 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
square roots and fractions are exact. decimals are approximate spelling** i just had this in pre cal
2006-09-23 19:43:49 · answer #5 · answered by hidden_memories 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is exact..
for exampe sqrt(2) is exact as sqrt(2)*sqrt(2) =2 .
pi is exact pi= 4*arctan(1)
only the problem is that it canot be represented as a rational number exactly.
2006-09-23 15:46:56 · answer #6 · answered by Mein Hoon Na 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The number itself is exact, but our ability to approximate it is not.
2006-09-23 15:44:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
nope, not exact. goes off into into the irrational infinity land. hoo hoo ha ha hoo hoo ha ha
2006-09-23 15:44:29 · answer #8 · answered by holden 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋