• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2004

According to the 7-th curriculum, irrational number should be introduced using repeating decimals in 8-th grade mathematics. To do so, the relation between rational numbers and repeating decimals such that a number is rational number if and only if it can be represented by a repeating decimal, should be examined closely Since this relation lacks clarity in some text books, irrational numbers have only slight relation with repeating decimals in those books. Furthermore, some text books introduce irrational numbers showing that $\sqrt{2}$ is not rational number, which is out of 7-th curriculum. On the other hand, if we use numeral 0 as a repetend, many results related to repeating decimals can be represented concisely. In particular, the treatments of order relation with repeating decimals in 8-th grade text books must be reconsidered.

• Journal for History of Mathematics
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2012

In Chinese mathematics, there have been two numeral systems, namely one in spoken language for recording and the other by counting rods for computations. They concerned with problems dealing with practical applications, numbers in them are concrete numbers except in the process of basic operations. Thus they could hardly develop a pure theory of numbers. In Song dynasty, 0 and TianYuanShu were introduced, where the coefficients were denoted by counting rods. We show that in this process, counting rods took over the role of the numeral system in spoken language and hence counting rod numeral system plays the role of that for abstract numbers together with the tool for calculations. Decimal fractions were also understood as denominate numbers but using the notions by counting rods, decimals were also admitted as abstract numbers. Noting that abacus replaced counting rods and TianYuanShu were lost in Ming dynasty, abstract numbers disappeared in Chinese mathematics. Investigating JianJie YiMing SuanFa(簡捷易明算法) written by Shen ShiGui(沈士桂) around 1704, we conclude that Shen noticed repeating decimals and their operations, and also used various rounding methods.