If I cut something into 3 equal pieces, there are 3 defined pieces. But, 1÷3= .333333~. Why is the math a nonstop repeating decimal when existence allows 3 pieces? Is the assumption that it’s physically impossible to cut something into 3 perfectly even pieces?

Question

If I cut something into 3 equal pieces, there are 3 defined pieces. But, 1÷3= .333333~. Why is the math a nonstop repeating decimal when existence allows 3 pieces? Is the assumption that it’s physically impossible to cut something into 3 perfectly even pieces?

In: Mathematics

Answer 1

Just to add a little to other answer … we think of 1/3 is a nonstop repeating sequence due to our predominant use of base-10 to represent numbers. In base-3 1/3 is not a repeating sequence, it’s 0.1.