Under the Dewey Decimal Classification system, what is the maximum number of digits allowed to the left of the decimal point?

Under the Dewey Decimal Classification system, what is the maximum number of digits allowed to the left of the decimal point?

• A. Two
• B. Three
• C. Four
• D. One

Answer: (B)

In Dewey Decimal, the left of the decimal point holds the main class, and those main classes run from 000 through 999. That means you can represent the broad category with up to three digits. Digits after the decimal add finer subdivisions within that chosen class, but they don’t change the fact that the left side maxes out at three digits. So the maximum number of digits allowed to the left of the decimal point is three.

In Dewey Decimal, the left of the decimal point holds the main class, and those main classes run from 000 through 999. That means you can represent the broad category with up to three digits. Digits after the decimal add finer subdivisions within that chosen class, but they don’t change the fact that the left side maxes out at three digits. So the maximum number of digits allowed to the left of the decimal point is three.