Working with Decimals

1/3 or 1.3333 is what type of decimal?

non-terminating

to convert 6.75 into a fraction, first convert

.75 into a fraction, aka 75/100 aka 3/4 so 6.75 = 6 and 3/4 and then convert into an improper fraction so 27/4

to convert a decimal into a fraction, first deal with the

decimal part first, then the whole number, then convert into an improper fraction

if you use the GRE calculator to work a problem that has fractions in both the question and the answers, it's helpful to know how to

convert the decimal answer on the calculator screen to a fraction

it's helpful to know how to convert the decimal answer on the calculator screen to a fraction if you use the

GRE calculator to work a problem that has fractions in both the questions and the answers

to determine if a fraction can be represented as a TERMINATING decimal,

factor the denominator into its prime factors

to determine if a fraction can be represented as a TERMINATING decimal,

factor the denominator into its prime factors and if the only prime factors of the denominator are 2 and/or 5, the decimal is terminating

if a fraction has a denominator that has prime factors of 2 and/or 5, the decimal of this fraction is

terminating

1/6 is a terminating or non-terminating decimal?

non-terminating because the denominator's prime factors include numbers other than 2 and/or 5

1/11 is a terminating or non-terminating decimal?

non-terminating because the denominator's prime factors do not include 2 and/or 5

2/15 is a terminating or non-terminal decimal when it is converted?

non-terminating because the denominator's prime factors do no include 2 and/or 5

the only square roots that produce terminating decimals are

perfect squares

perfect squares are the only square roots that produce terminating decimals. True or False

True

When a problem uses fractions, consider whether the decimal equivalents of those fractions

terminate before using a calculator. If the decimals are non-terminating, your final answer will be a little off on your calculator due to a rounding error.

To determine which decimal is greater. compare the

digits in each place value

the numbers 0.001 and 0.0011 have the same digits in the tenths, hundredths and thousandths places. However, 0.0011 had a 1 in the ten-thousandths place, while 0.001 has a 0. Therefore, which number is greater?

0.0011 is the greater decimal

GRE problems sometimes have answers that differ by a factor of 10 (such as 0.8 and 0.08) so being aware of the likely size of an answer can help to avoid careless errors. True or False

True

taking the SQUARE ROOT of a DECIMAL, results in a number that is ______than the original number.

larger

when you take the SQUARE ROOT of a DECIMAL, the number gets

bigger

SQUARING a DECIMAL results in a number that is _____ than the original number

smaller

QA ?0.25 x 0.36 (everything is under the radical) QB (0.25 x 0.36)^2 Which quantity is larger?

QA is bigger than QB, because taking the SQUARE ROOT of a DECIMAL results in a number that is LARGER than the original while SQUARING a DECIMAL results in a number SMALLER than the original