RATIONAL FACTORADIMALS TERMINATE

TED BAGG

Abstract. It’s well-known that many rational numbers have nonterminating representa-
tions in fixed-radix positional notations such as decimal and binary. In sharp contrast, a
real number is rational if, and only if, it has a terminating factoradic mantissa.

0. Notation
R ⊃ Z ⊃ N are respectively the reals, integers and whole numbers therein.
∀n ∈ N : n = {k ∈ N : k < n}. ∀u ∈ R : sgn u is 0 when u = 0, u/|u| otherwise.
∀m ∈ Z : [m) = {k ∈ Z : m ≤ k}. ∀n ∈ N : n! is 1 if n = 0, or (n − 1)!n otherwise.
For sets A, B: ArB is {x ∈ A : x < B}, BA the set of maps A → B. ]0, 1[ = {x ∈ R : 0 < x < 1}.

1. Factoradimals
Factoradic (done right) is a generalized positional notation wherein the radix starts at
two on each side of the decimal point – call it the radimal point in this context of general
positional representations – and increments by one with each step away. Factoradimals
are the factoradic representations of values in R r Z. The factoradic mantissa works as
illustrated here1 (applied to selected rationals in ]0, 1[ ):
1/2 .1 1/24 .001 7/24 .013 7/12 .102 7/8 .121 1/40 .0003
1/6 .01 1/12 .002 3/8 .021 5/8 .103 11/12 .122 1/30 .0004
1/3 .02 1/8 .003 5/12 .022 17/24 .111 23/24 .123 1/20 .0011
2/3 .11 5/24 .011 11/24 .023 3/4 .112 1/120 .0001 7/120 .0012
5/6 .12 1/4 .012 13/24 .101 19/24 .113 1/60 .0002 1/15 .0013
The digits in the righthand columns above represent domain coordinates with negative
index in the factoradic inverse2 positional representation
X
M → R : d 7→ dk {(1 + |k|)!}sgn k (1)
k∈Z

of real numbers, where3

B = {d ∈ NZ : ∀k ∈ Z : dk ≤ ⌈|k + 12 |⌉ = |k| + χk } (2)
= {d ∈ B : ∃m ∈ Z : ∀k ∈ [m) : dk = 0}
M (3)
with ∀u ∈ R : ⌈u⌉ = min{k ∈ Z : u ≤ k} and ∀k ∈ Z : χk is 1 if k ≥ 0 or 0 otherwise.

Date: Version 2.10: January 21, 2024.

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 11A63.
Special Thanks to Patricia McGrath.
Copyright c 2015, 2020 Theodore A. A. Bagg: Copy freely but credit author.
1This table fragment’s infinite extension runs out of digit symbols at the tenth place, a problem best addressed
elsewhere (e.g., encode positional notation in glyphs & extend scientific notation to minimize the need).
2The obverse relation in R × M has some multiple values, so is not a map.
3The archaic Cypriot
B (Mu) and Futhorc M (Mann) symbols are chosen because their butterfly shapes
express graphically the coordinate ranges’ linear increase with index magnitude.
1
2 TED BAGG

Theorem 1. If a number in ]0, 1[ is rational, then it has a terminating factoradimal.

Proof. Every rational number r is equal to a ratio of relatively prime integers. So let
(a, b) ∈ N2 : a ∧ b = 1 : c ∈ NN : (∀k ∈ N : ck ≤ k + 1) :
a X ck
]0, 1[ ∋ r= = (4)
b k∈N (k + 2)!

(a ∧ b being the greatest common factor), whence [1] (like decimal .9 = 1)

a X k+1
< = 1 (5)
b k∈N
(k + 2)!

Then ∀n ∈ N: let4
X ck ∞
X ck
sn = tn =
k∈n
(k + 2)! k=n
(k + 2)!
(6)
X k+1 ∞
1 X k+1 1
Sn = = 1− Tn = =
k∈n
(k + 2)! (n + 1)! k=n
(k + 2)! (n + 1)!
so that
 a
 = sn + tn
b

(7)

1 = Sn + Tn


with 0 ≤ sn ≤ S n and 0 ≤ tn ≤ T n (termwise).

The set D = {k ∈ N : b|k!} of whole numbers whose factorials b divides is not empty,
since b|b!. Moreover, ∀(i, j) ∈ N2 : (i < j & i ∈ D) ⇒ j ∈ D, so D = [µ), where µ = min D.
Also µ ≥ 2, as b ∤ 1! because b ≥ 2 since 0 < r < 1.
Then5 ∀n ∈ [µ − 1) :
n a o
(n + 1)! , (n + 1)!sn ⊂ N (9)
b
whence
a 
N ∋ (n + 1)! − sn = (n + 1)!tn ≤ (n + 1)!T n = 1 (10)
b
so
ß ™
1
tn ∈ 0, (11)
(n + 1)!
If ∃m ∈ [µ − 1) : tm = 0, we’re done; so suppose otherwise, whence tλ = 1/(λ + 1)! for
λ = µ − 1.
Were cλ−1 = λ, the maximal value, we’d have tλ−1 = T λ−1 = 1/λ!, thence
a 1
= sλ−1 + (12)
b λ!
λ!a
= λ!sλ−1 + 1 ∈ N (13)
b
which, since a ∧ b = 1, would imply b|λ!, contradicting µ’s minimalcy.
4Establishing S ’s closed form by induction’s an easy way to evaluate the corresponding infinite series.
n
5 s ’s rightmost term has index k = n − 1.
n
 RATIONAL FACTORADIMALS TERMINATE 3

So cλ−1 + 1 ≤ λ, whence
( λ−2 )
a cλ−1 X ck cλ−1 + 1
= sλ−1 + + tλ = + (14)
b (λ + 1)! k=0
(k + 2)! (λ + 1)!
corresponds to a (terminating) factoradimal. 
Terminating factoradimals are rational, and a real number is rational iff it’s the sum of
an integer and a rational of magnitude < 1; so the result just proven implies
Corollary 2. A real number is rational iff it has a terminating factoradimal.
Definition 3. ∀b ∈ N : foot(b) = min{k ∈ [1) : b|k!} is b’s factorial root.
If (a, b) ∈ N : a ∧ b = 1 : 0 < r = a/b < 1, then µ = foot(b) is exactly the radix of the
rightmost nonzero coefficient in r’s terminating factoradimal representation.

References
1. I. S. Gradshteyn and I. M. Ryzhik, 0.245(4), 5th ed., ch. 0, p. 13, Academic Press, San Diego, 1994, Moscow,
1963.

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E-mail address: tbagg@niftimal.com