Terminating vs. repeating decimals
Terminating decimals end after a finite number of digits — such as 0.25 or 0.875. They convert directly using powers of 10. See the terminating-decimal guide.
Repeating decimals have digits that cycle forever, like 0.333… = 1/3 or 0.272727… = 3/11. These require an algebraic method. See the repeating-decimal guide.