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How do we round numbers?

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Rounding helps us to quickly estimate answers before working them out.

Always look at the digit to the right of the one you鈥檙e supposed to be rounding to.

  • If the digit is between 0 and 4, you round down.
  • If the digit is between 5 and 9, you round up.
Did you know?
Number line showing rounding up from 5 and down from 4

For example, to round the number 1,121,565 to the nearest million, look at the digit in the hundred thousands column.

1 is less than 4, so it would be rounded down to 1,000,000.

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Watch: Rounding numbers

Revise the value of rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000 with Albert and his jars of sweets in this animation!

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Rounding to the nearest 10

To round a number to the nearest 10, look at the ones digit. If the ones digit is 5 or more, round up. If the ones digit is 4 or less, round down.

For example, 853 rounded to the nearest 10 would be 850 because 3 is in the ones column.

853 ones
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Rounding to the nearest 100

To round a number to the nearest 100, look at the tens digit. If the tens digit is 5 or more, round up. If the tens digit is 4 or less, round down.

For example, 853 rounded to the nearest 100 would be 900 because 5 is in the tens column.

853 place value columns with tens highlighted
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Rounding to the nearest 1000

To round a number to the nearest 1000, look at the hundreds digit. If the hundreds digit is 5 or more, round up. If the hundreds digit is 4 or less, round down.

For example, 853 rounded to the nearest 1000 would be 1000 because 8 is in the hundreds column.

853 place value columns with hundreds highlighted
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Rounding to the nearest 10,000

How do you round 182,322 to the nearest ten thousand?

This number is in the hundred thousands.

8 is in the ten thousands column, meaning eighty thousand.

182322 with 8 highlighted

The nearest ten thousand could be 180,000 or 190,000.

To round to the nearest ten thousand look at the digit in the column to the right, the thousands.

182322 chart with two thousand highlighted.

2 is in the thousands column.

The rule is, if the number is between 0 and 4 round down.

Therefore, 182,322 rounded to the nearest ten thousand is 180,000.

The number line also shows that 182,322 is closer to 180,000. It is almost a quarter of the way to 190,000.

Number line showing 182,322 in relation to 180,000 and 190,000
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Rounding to the nearest 100,000

How do you round 182,322 to the nearest hundred thousand?

1 is in the hundred thousand column, meaning one hundred thousand.

The nearest one hundred thousand could be 100,000 or 200,000.

To round to the nearest hundred thousand, look at the digit in the column to the right, the ten thousands.

182322 with 8 highlighted

8 is in the the ten thousands column.

The rule is, if the number is 5 or more round up.

8 is larger than 5. Therefore, 182,322 will be rounded up to 200,000.

Plot the figures on a number line to check.

182322 number line between 100000 and 200000
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Rounding to 1,000,000

Question: Ali says that 4,562,145 rounded to the nearest million is 4,000,000. Why is she incorrect?

4 is in the million column, meaning four million.

The nearest million could be 4,000,000 or 5,000,000.

To round to the nearest million, look at the digit in the column to the right, the hundred thousands.

4562145 number place value chart with 5 highlighted

The number in the hundred thousands column is 5.

The rule is, if the number is 5 or more, round up.

Ali needed to round up to 5,000,000.

4 million to 5million number line
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Activity

Quiz

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Play our fun maths game Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica. game

Use your times tables and more maths skills to defeat monsters and reclaim the Kingdom of Mathematica

Play our fun maths game Guardians: Defenders of Mathematica
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More on Rounding and estimating

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