Rounding Numbers
Understanding Rounding Numbers
- Rounding numbers is the process of making numbers simpler, yet keeping their value close to what it was.
- The goal is to get to an outcome that is easier to work with and understand.
- The number you round to is often a multiple of some power of 10 (10, 100, 1000, etc.), but it can also be a multiple of 5 or any other number.
- The rounding process varies based on the “place” you are rounding to. For example, rounding to the nearest ten, hundred, thousand, or decimal place.
Concepts of Rounding
- If the number you are rounding is followed by 5 or more, round up to the next whole number.
- If the number you are rounding is followed by 4 or less, round down.
- For example, if you round 86 to the nearest ten, it becomes 90. If you round it to the nearest hundred, it becomes 100 as it is closer to 100 than to 0.
Practice Problems
- Problem: Round the number 37 to the nearest ten.
- Solution: 40
- Problem: Round the number 1500 to the nearest thousand.
- Solution: 2000
- Problem: Round the decimal 0.835 to the nearest hundredth.
- Solution: 0.84
Key Points to Remember
- Be comfortable identifying different place values such as ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, tenths, hundredths, and so on.
- Practice! The more you practice rounding numbers, the more natural it will feel.
- Remember to round down for digits less than 5 and round up for digits 5 or more.
- Always double-check your rounded numbers, ensuring they fall closer to the rounded value rather than the other option.