continued fraction

noun

, Mathematics.

1. a fraction whose denominator contains a fraction whose denominator contains a fraction, and so on.

continued fraction

noun

1. a number plus a fraction whose denominator contains a number and a fraction whose denominator contains a number and a fraction, and so on

Word History and Origins

Origin of continued fraction¹

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

These latest projects are primarily driven by a specific continued fraction whose nested integers form the sequence 1, 2, 3,…, Elsner says.

From Scientific American

“Don’t panic now. It’s just a continued fraction. Though it is amazing that we can entice our ‘crazy number’ 1.618 • • • out of a set of ones that keep shrinking and shrinking, don’t you think?”

From Literature

First of all, a continued fraction looks just like a fraction, but more so.

From Scientific American

If it’s finite, it’s not too hard to see that the continued fraction represents a rational number.

From Scientific American

On the other hand, if a continued fraction has an infinite number of entries, then it represents an irrational number.

From Scientific American