Step-by-Step Guide: Rounding Numbers to the Nearest Tenth
A decimal is a number divided into two parts: a whole and a fraction. Between integers, decimal numbers express the numerical value of complete and partially whole amounts. Rounding is the act of reducing a number while maintaining its value.
Although the outcome is less accurate, it is easier to use. To estimate values without writing a tonne of digits to the right of the decimal point, round decimals. You can round decimals to the closest whole number, nearest tenth, nearest hundredth, or nearest thousandth decimal place.
Nearest Tenth of a Decimal:
We must round a number to the nearest tenth to obtain the hundredth place, placed to the right of the tenth place. If the digit in the hundredth place is five or greater, the digit in the tenth place must be raised by one.
If it is 4 or less, the tenth-place digit stays the same. All the numerals to the right of the tenth spot should be changed to 0. In other words, we will stop at the tenth place rather than rounding a number to the nearest tenth.
Rounding Decimals to the Nearest Tenth:
To write a decimal number up to one decimal place, round it to the nearest tenth. This is done by leaving one digit after the decimal point after rounding. To round to the closest tenth, we must locate the digit in the 'tenths' location and pay attention to the digit to its right in the given number. The first digit following the decimal point is considered to be in the tenth place.
Round to the Nearest Tenth:
Do you know how to Round to the Nearest Tenth? Today, we will see the rules necessary to follow to round to the nearest tenth value given below:
At first, we will see how to round off when the hundredth number is more than 5. For example, take the number 4.569.
Watch the number that has to be rounded, i.e., the tenth place number or the first digit following the decimal point.
Observe the digit in the "hundredths" place, which is to the right of the digit in the tenth place, after marking the digit in the "tenths" place.
If the digit in the hundredth place is 5 or higher, we increase the tenth place by 1, add 1 to the digit in the hundredth place, and then put 0 in all the digits to the right.
Round to the nearest tenth
Now, we will see how to round off when the hundredth number is less than 5. For example, take the number 4.32.
Watch the number that has to be rounded, i.e., the tenth place number or the first digit following the decimal point.
Observe the digit in the "hundredths" place, which is to the right of the digit in the tenth place, after marking the digit in the "tenths" place.
The tenth place digit will remain unchanged as the digit in the hundredth place is less than 5, and we write 0 in the hundredth place and all the places to its right.
Example for Rounding to the Nearest Tenth:
Let us look at some rounds to the nearest tenth examples:
Example 1: Round 263.57 to the nearest tenth.
Solution: The tenth digit, in this example, 5, is the first integer to the right of the decimal point. The digit after the decimal point, 7, is more than 5. In this instance, we must add 1 to the number 5.
Hence, the number will be 263.6.
Example 2: Round 6.62 to the nearest tenth.
Solution: The tenth digit in this example is 6. The digit after the tenth place is 2, less than 5, so the digit remains unchanged.
Hence, the number will be 6.6.
Conclusion:
Therefore, rounding off to the nearest tenth is learned in this article. We use this idea daily to calculate our grocery costs and other bills; thus, it is quite significant. Any integer can now be rounded to the closest tenth by following the methods given.
FAQs on How to Round to the Nearest Tenth
1. What does it mean to round a number to the nearest tenth?
Rounding to the nearest tenth means simplifying a decimal number to its closest value with only one digit after the decimal point. The tenths place is the first position to the right of the decimal. This process makes numbers easier to work with, especially when an exact value is not required.
2. What is the official rule for rounding to the nearest tenth as per the CBSE/NCERT syllabus?
To round a number to the nearest tenth, follow these steps:
Identify the tenths digit: This is the first digit immediately after the decimal point.
Look at the next digit: Examine the digit in the hundredths place (the second digit after the decimal).
Apply the rounding rule: If the hundredths digit is 5 or greater, you round up by adding one to the tenths digit. If the hundredths digit is 4 or less, you keep the tenths digit as it is.
Finalise the number: Drop all digits after the tenths place.
3. Can you provide an example of rounding to the nearest tenth?
Certainly. Let's round the number 15.76 to the nearest tenth.
The digit in the tenths place is 7.
The digit to its right, in the hundredths place, is 6.
Since 6 is greater than 5, we round up the tenths digit.
The 7 becomes an 8.
Therefore, 15.76 rounded to the nearest tenth is 15.8.
4. What happens when rounding to the nearest tenth if the hundredths digit is exactly 5?
This is a common point of confusion. The standard mathematical convention, followed in the NCERT curriculum, is to always round up when the digit you are checking is a 5. For example, to round 8.25 to the nearest tenth, you look at the 5. This signals you to increase the tenths digit (2) by one. The correctly rounded number is 8.3.
5. In what real-world situations is rounding to the nearest tenth important?
Rounding to the nearest tenth is very practical in everyday life for estimation. For example:
Weather Reports: A temperature might be 32.67°C, which is reported as 32.7°C for simplicity.
Measurements: When measuring length, a carpenter might measure a piece of wood as 4.82 metres but refer to it as 4.8 metres for general discussion.
Athletics: A sprinter's time of 9.98 seconds might be announced as 10.0 seconds.
6. How does rounding to the nearest tenth differ from rounding to a whole number?
The key difference is the place value you are rounding to, which determines the level of precision.
Rounding to the nearest tenth keeps one decimal place for more precision. You look at the hundredths digit to make your decision. For example, 23.64 becomes 23.6.
Rounding to the nearest whole number removes all decimal places for maximum simplicity. You look at the tenths digit to make your decision. For example, 23.64 becomes 24.
Rounding to the nearest tenth is more precise than rounding to the nearest whole number.
7. Does rounding a number to the nearest tenth make it less accurate?
Yes, rounding a number intentionally reduces its accuracy to make it simpler. The rounded number is an approximation of the original value, not the exact number. For instance, when we round 54.38 to 54.4, we introduce a small error of +0.02. This trade-off is acceptable when a quick estimate is more useful than a precise, complex decimal.
