Who invented the strategy for converting repeating decimals to fractions?
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The method of converting repeating decimals to fractions is quite well-known once you're around 7th or 8th grade, so I won't repeat it here, as it is also quite lengthy.
My question is, who invented the strategy for doing so? My Internet searches have been unsuccessful, and I thought maybe you guys would know since it's math-related.
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Hi @The-Darkin-Blade!
The method of converting repeating decimals to fractions is just one of the algebraic methods of working with rational fractions. It is just an algorithm that tells us what to do. It is the same as the method of solving equations, inequalities or changing fractions to a reduced form. Honestly, there is not only one algorithm of converting repeating decimals to fractions - there are lots of them. Some of them are harder and require some background, some of them are easier and do not require any prior knowledge.
So, once again, it's just an algorithm. For example, mathematicians use the method of moving a decimal point not just for converting repeating decimals to fractions, but also in many other cases.