POW Answer – 0.999999 Repeating Equals One?

The following answers the Problem of the Week from May 7, 2012:

One of the simplest ways to prove that 0.999999 = 1 is by doing the following:

• 0.333333 = 1 / 3
• 3 × (0.333333) = 3 × (1 / 3)
• 0.999999 = 1

As shown above, since it is true 0.333333 is the way to represent 1 / 3 in decimal form, it follows mathematically that 0.999999 is an alternative way to represent 1 in decimal form. A more extensive discussion can be found here on Wikipedia.