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Rounding Numbers

Rounding is a process of simplifying numbers without changing their values too much. There are three main ways to round numbers: to a given number of decimal places, significant figures, or nearest whole number, 10, 100, etc. For each method, the digit at the specified place value is identified as the cutoff digit. If the following digit is less than 5, the cutoff digit stays the same. If it is 5 or greater, the cutoff digit is rounded up. Any digits after the cutoff are ignored. Examples demonstrate rounding decimals, numbers with place values, and significant figures up to changing the digit before if rounding up results in 10 or greater.

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138 views4 pages

Rounding Numbers

Rounding is a process of simplifying numbers without changing their values too much. There are three main ways to round numbers: to a given number of decimal places, significant figures, or nearest whole number, 10, 100, etc. For each method, the digit at the specified place value is identified as the cutoff digit. If the following digit is less than 5, the cutoff digit stays the same. If it is 5 or greater, the cutoff digit is rounded up. Any digits after the cutoff are ignored. Examples demonstrate rounding decimals, numbers with place values, and significant figures up to changing the digit before if rounding up results in 10 or greater.

Uploaded by

Ria Safitri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Rounding Numbers

Rounding is a process of simplifying a number without changing the value of it too much. We do this by
taking a number and working out which of the “simpler” numbers it is closest to.
If you round numbers too early, i.e. during a calculation, then the answer you get at the end may be incorrect,
so only round at the end of an answer, and not during a calculation, unless the question specifically asks you
to.

Skill 1: Rounding – Decimal Places


One way we may be asked to round a number is to a given number of decimal places (d.p.).
Example: Round 3.68743 to 2 decimal places.
Step 1: Determine the cut-off point.
Here, this is the 2nd decimal place. The cut-off point is after the 8 and before the 7.
Step 2: Look at the first digit after the cut-off point. Here it is the 7.
If it is below 5, then we keep the cut-off digit the same.
If it is 5 or more, then we round up the cut-off digit.

Here, 7 is more than 5, so we round the cut-off digit, 8, up to 9.


Step 3: All the digits after the cut-off point we ignore. So,
3.6874 rounded to 2 decimal places is 3.69

Skill 2: Rounding – Significant Figures


Another way we may be asked to round a number is to a given number of significant figures (sf).
The 11st significant figure of a number is the first digit that isn’t a 00. The next significant figures
immediately follows, and so on…..
Example: Round 0.04529 to 2 significant figures.
Step 1: Determine the cut-off point.
Here this is the 2nd significant figure. The 1st significant figure is 4 as the first 2 digits are zeros.
The 2nd significant figure is the 5.
The cut-off point is between the 5 and the 2.
Step 2: Look at the first digit after the cut-off point. Here it is the 2.
If it is below 5, then we keep the cut-off digit the same.
If it is 5 or more, then we round up the cut-off digit.

Here, 2 is less than 5, so we keep the cut-off digit, 5, the same.


Step 3: All the digits after the cut-off point we ignore. So,
0.04529 rounded to 2 significant figures is 0.045

Skill 3: Rounding – Nearest Whole Number, 10, 100 etc.


Finally, we may be asked to round a number to the nearest whole number, 10, 100 etc.
This is easier than for decimal places and significant figures. We use the same method however, but if
it asks to round to the nearest 10 for example, then our cut-off digit will be the digit in the tens column.
Example: Found 112 to the nearest ten
Step 1: Identify the tens digit, here is will be the second 1
Step 2: Look at the digit after the tens column. Here it is 2
If it is below 5, then we keep the digit the same.
If it is 5 or more, then we round up the digit.
Here, 2 is less so we do not up.
This gives the final answer to be: 110

Skill 4: Rounding – Carrying the 1


For each of the 3 ways of rounding, if we are required to round up a 9, then we round the 9 to a 0 and
increase the digit before it by 1 (carry the 1 to the left).
Example: Round 4.398 to 2 decimal places.
The 2nd digit after the decimal point, the 9, is out cut-off digit. The digit after it is an 8, so we must
round up the cut-off digit.
The problem is, increasing a 9 by 1 makes 10, so what do we do? The cut-off digit becomes zero, and
the digit before it gets increased by 1. So, in this case, the 9 goes to zero and the 3 before it becomes 4.
Then, ignoring all the digits after the cut-off point, we get
4.398 rounded to 2 decimal places is 4.40
Example 1: Rounding to the Nearest 10
Round 235 to the nearest ten.
The first digit, 2, is in hundreds, but the second digit, 3, is in tens, so that will be our cut-off digit.
Now we look to the digit after this point: it is a 5, which means that we round up, i.e. the cut-off
digit gets increased by 1, so in this case the 3 will become a 4.
Finally, ignoring all the digits after the cut-off point, we get that
235 rounded to the nearest 10 is 240
Example 2: Rounding Decimals
Round 13.746 to 2 decimal places.
If we’re rounding to 2 decimal places then the cut-off digit is the 2nd decimal place, i.e. the 2nd
number after the decimal point. In this case, that is the 4.
The digit after the 4 is a 6, which means that we round up and increase the cut-off digit by 1 so
the 4 becomes a 5, giving us
13.746 rounded to 2 decimal places is 13.75

Example 3: Rounding Significant Figures


Round 8,529 to 2 significant figures.
The 1st significant figure is 8, the 2nd is 5.
The 5 is our cut-off digit.
The digit after the 5 is a 2. This is less than 5, so we round down and the cut-off digit stays the same.
Then, ignoring all the digits after the cut-off point, we get
8,529 rounded to 2 significant figures is 8,500.

Example 4: Rounding Significant Figures


Round 0.00589 to 22 significant figures.
The first non-zero term is 5, so this is our 1st significant figure. 8, is our 2nd significant figure and thus is
our cut-off digit.
The digit after the 8 is a 9, which is bigger than 5, and so we round up, increasing the cut-off digit by 1,
making the 8 into a 9.
Then, ignoring all the digits after the cut-off point, we get
0.00589 rounded to 2 significant figures is 0.0059

Example Questions
Question 1: Round 560,180560,180 to the nearest thousand.
[1 mark]
Level 1-3
Question 2: Round 97.9697.96 to 11 decimal place.
[1 mark]
Level 1-3
Question 3: Round 0.023450.02345 to 33 significant figures.
[1 mark]
Level 1-3
Question 4: Round 1.00931.0093 to 33 significant figures.
[1 mark]
Level 1-3
Question 5: Round 55.09955.099 to 22 decimal places.
[1 mark]
Level 1-3

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