Simplify Decimal to Radical Decimal to Radical Algorithm

[Zerobu]

decimal to radical algorithm?

does anyone know if there is a method of writing a decimal number in its simplified radical form?? I really would like to know if there is

 

[Four]

do you mean find a radical that is close to a fraction of whole numbers that would approximate the decimal number?

E.g. find a & b such that sqrt(a/b) aprox = C where a &b are integers and C is a decimal.

In that case I don't know. But there exists an algorythm, I have seen it I think on "ask Dr. Math" or something similar.

 

[CRGreathouse]

Put it into continued fraction form. You may be able to recognize a repeating portion. (Actually, in trying this myself, I couldn't recognize anything. I'm not quite sure why. Maybe it just takes a whole lot of digits.)

http://home.earthlink.net/~mrob/pub/ries/index.html is your friend. Try "ries 5.1425631813 -NCS" (where -NCS tells ries not to use the sine or cosine functions).