Symbol (.) used in some English-speaking countries to separate the whole part from the decimal part of a decimal number. In some other countries, a decimal comma is used instead.
Example
The number 3.52 is a decimal number.
Historical Note
Dutch mathematician Simon Stevin was the first to use decimal fractions in his book "
De Thiende", publié en 1585. published in 1585. He used a circle, not a decimal point.
Christopher Clavius (1537-1612) was the first to use a decimal point in 1593 in a table of sine.
