Australian Curriculum Sample Questions CEOWA

Investigation

Year: 8
Topic: Decimals
(Recurring and terminating)

Prior knowledge: Converting fractions to decimals

Strand: Number and Algebra

Substrand: Real numbers

 1 1 1
Fractions such as 2 , 4
and 8
can be written as terminating decimals – decimals
which stop after a few decimal places.

1 1 1
= 0.5 = 0.25 = 0.125
2 4 8

1 1
Other fractions such as 3
and 6
are recurring decimals – the digits after the
decimal point continue for ever in a repeating pattern.

1 1
= 0.3333..... = 
0.3 (or 0.3 ) = 0.1666..... = 
0.16
3 6

A dot (or line) above a digit means that digit repeats, as shown above.

A line above a group of digits means that group of digits repeats,

such as 0.131313..... = 0.13

Question One

(a) Write the following recurring decimals using the dot/line shorthand notation

described above.

0.77777777…… = ____________

0.2342342342342…… = ____________

0.325555555…… = ____________

0.6382929292…… = ____________

(b) Write out the first 6 decimal places for each of these recurring decimals.
 
0 .4 = ________________________

0.725 = ________________________

Question Two “Ninths”

(a) Complete the following tables by changing the fractions into decimals. Use a
calculator (‘top divided by bottom’) and write down the whole answer
appearing on the screen.
1 2 3 4
Fraction
9 9 9 9

Decimal 0.111111111

Decimal 
0.1
shorthand

5 6 7 8
Fraction
9 9 9 9

Decimal

Decimal
shorthand

NOTE: YOUR CALCULATOR MAY ROUND THE LAST DIGIT

(b) Describe any pattern you notice in these decimals.

(How many digits recur? Is there a pattern in the digits?)

Question Three “Elevenths”

(a) Complete the following tables:
1 2 3 4 5
Fraction
11 11 11 11 11

Decimal 0.090909090

Decimal
0.09
shorthand

6 7
Fraction
11 11

Decimal

Decimal
shorthand

NOTE: YOUR CALCULATOR MAY ROUND THE LAST DIGIT

(b) Describe any patterns you notice in these decimals.

(How many digits recur? Is there a pattern in the digits?)
Question Four “Sevenths”

Some decimals contain several digits (numbers) in the recurring pattern.

(a) Complete the tables below; write down the whole answer appearing on the
calculator screen.

1 2
Fraction
7 7

Decimal

Decimal
shorthand

Fraction

Decimal

Decimal
shorthand

(b) How many digits are there in each recurring pattern?

(c) What is the relationship between the recurring decimals in the table above?
(How are they similar / different to each other?)

Sometimes the display on calculators is not large enough to display the complete
cycle of recurring digits.

By investigating the pattern in a series of fractions, the complete recurring pattern of

digits can be determined.

Question Five “Seventeenths”

 1
(a) Complete the table on the next page to show the decimals for the fractions
17
16
to . Show the complete calculator display.
17

Fraction

Decimal

Fraction

Decimal

Fraction

Decimal

Fraction

Decimal

Fraction

Decimal

Fraction

Decimal

NOTE: YOUR CALCULATOR MAY ROUND THE LAST DIGIT

(b) From the information in the tables above, determine the complete recurring
1
decimal for . Write it below using the correct notation. (Hint: it has 16 digits)
17

1
= 0. ________________
17

(c) Explain how you obtained your answer for (b) above.
Question Six

You are now going to investigate which unit fractions lead to recurring decimals.

Unit fractions have a numerator (top number) of 1.

(a) Complete the following table:

Fraction Decimal Terminating or Recurring?

1
0.5 
2

1 
0.3 
3

1
4

1
5
(b) Consider the denominators (bottom numbers) that lead to terminating
decimals.

Describe the any pattern or similarities between these denominators

(numbers). Give examples.