Rounding tens, hundreds and thousands

Rounding a number is another way of writing a number approximately. We often don't need to write all the figures in a number, as an approximate one will do.

For a population of 27 653 the number is large and will change daily. It is better to round up and say 28 000.

Rounding to the nearest ten

To round a number to the nearest 10, you have to decide if the number is nearest to 10, 20 30 etc. To do this you follow a rule.

Is 37 nearer to 30 or to 40?

As the unit figure is 7, you round up to 40.

Rounding to the nearest 10 can help you estimate the cost of your shopping.

Rounding to the nearest hundred

To round a number to the nearest 100, you have to decide if the number is nearest to 100, 200, 300 etc. The rule is the same as for rounding to the nearest 10, but this time look at the tens figure.

Is 236 nearer to 200 or to 300?

As the tens figure is 3, you round down to 200.

Rounding to the nearest 100 can help you estimate your yearly spending on rent or mortgage.

Rounding to the nearest thousand

To round a number to the nearest 1 000, you have to decide if the number is nearest to 1 000, 2 000, 3 000 etc. Follow the rules as above now looking at the hundreds figure.

Is 8 572 nearer to 8 000 or to 9 000?

As the hundreds figure is 5, follow the rule and round up to 9 000.

When a figure is halfway between two hundreds, the rule is to round up.

Rounding to the nearest 1 000 can help you estimate the number of people who attended a pop concert or football match.

Example

If 43 715 tickets were sold for a football match, that number could be rounded to the nearest ten, hundred or thousand:

• rounding 43 715 to the nearest 10 would give 43 720
• rounding 43 715 to the nearest 100 would give 43 700
• rounding 43 715 to the nearest 1,000 would give 44 000.