• Question: How would you best describe how to round to a given number of decimal places?

    Asked by topo534harm62 to tomranner, margaretduff, Laura B, janmckendrick, Daniel on 21 Nov 2025. This question was also asked by rook534harm62.
    • Photo: Laura Bonnett

      Laura Bonnett answered on 21 Nov 2025:

      Great question! This is quite difficult to describe in words but I’ll give it a go.

      1. Work out the last needed decimal place. The number of decimal places you are rounding to determines where you stop counting digits after the decimal point.
      2. Look at the next digit to the right. This single digit decides whether you round up or stay put:
      a. If the digit is 4 or less (0, 1, 2, 3, or 4): Keep the last needed digit the same, and drop all the digits that follow it.
      b. If the digit is 5 or more (5, 6, 7, 8, or 9): Increase the last needed digit by one, and drop all the digits that follow it. If increasing a 9 makes it a 10, carry over the one to the next digit to its left (e.g., rounding 1.95 to one decimal place becomes 2.0).

      Hope that helps!
      Laura

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