recurring decimal

American  

noun

1. Mathematics. repeating decimal.

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recurring decimal British  

noun

1. Also called: circulating decimal.   repeating decimal.  a rational number that contains a pattern of digits repeated indefinitely after the decimal point

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recurring decimal Scientific  

/ rĭ-kûr′ĭng /

1. See repeating decimal

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Etymology

Origin of recurring decimal

First recorded in 1795–1805

Example Sentences

The trouble is that every science has a beginning but not an end, like a recurring decimal.

From The Chorus Girl and Other Stories by Garnett, Constance

We might as well make an infinitesimal series of fractions or a perpetually recurring decimal the object of our worship.

From Sophist by Plato

They are, they think, in presence of a recurring decimal, and they are not going to spend life in the effort to resolve it.

From Theological Essays by Bradlaugh, Charles

Three," said Katherine taking one last look at the empty horizon, then seating herself in front of her friend, "three is a recurring decimal.

From A Rock in the Baltic by Barr, Robert

One might edge a wall-paper or fringe a robe with a recurring decimal.

From Alarms and Discursions by Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)