Are there any bases which represent all rationals in a finite number of digits? In base 10, 1/3 cannot be represented in a finite number of digits. Examples exist in many other bases (notably base 2, as it's relevant to computing). I'm wondering: does there exist any base in which every rational number can be represented in a finite number of digits? My intuition is that the answer is no. If so, what is a proof of this?

In standard positional notation, no. Just pick any number p which is relatively prime to the base and 1/p will not terminate.
There is however a delightful way of doing this if we play a little bit loose and lovely with what is a "base", called "factorial base" (if you Google it, their are 6 million hits!). This has the exact property you ask for. Even if it doesn't meet your needs, it is a very interesting idea.
