Practice30Create account

Which of these fractions has the LONGEST repeating block in its decimal expansion?

Competition practiceNumber & Arithmetic
  • A1/11
  • B1/37
  • C1/41
  • D1/13

Step-by-Step Solution

Divide each one out. 1/11 = 0.090909… repeats a block of 2 digits; 1/37 = 0.027027… repeats a block of 3; 1/41 = 0.0243902439… repeats a block of 5; and 1/13 = 0.076923076923… repeats a block of 6. The longest belongs to 1/13. The size of the denominator is no guide at all — 41 is the biggest denominator here yet its block is shorter. What decides the length is the smallest power of 10 that leaves remainder 1 on division by the denominator: is a multiple of 11, while nothing shorter than works for 13.
Answer: D) 1/13

Master this topic in 30 minutes a day.

Don't just memorise the answer — build a daily practice habit.

Practice 5 Similar Questions Free →

All Number & Arithmetic practice questions

More Number & Arithmetic practice

The four factorials 5!, 10!, 15! and 20! are all multiplied together. How many zeros…The number 40! is divided by 18, the answer is divided by 18 again, and so on for as…How many of the whole numbers from 1 to 84 have no factor greater than 1 in common with…The digits of 2¹⁰⁰⁰ are added together; the digits of that answer are added together;…Many whole numbers can be broken up into a run of two or more consecutive whole numbers…