Rounding is finding a simpler number that's close to the number you start with. The results are not exact, but are easier to work with.
The steps for rounding are the same whether you're rounding numbers to the nearest tens or to the nearest millions.
1️⃣ First, always look for the target digit.
2️⃣ Then look at the digit to the right of the target digit.
If that digit is less than 5, you round down.
If that digit is 5 or more, you round up.
Let's see what that means with some examples.
Round 274,612 to the nearest Thousands place.
Which digit is in the Thousands place?
Let's look at the places values for this number.
Which digit is our target?
Yes, it's the digit 4.
We now look at the digit to the right of 4.
Which digit is it?
Yes! It's 6.
Should we round up or round down?
Very good! We round up because 6 is more than 5.
1️⃣ So we add 1 to 4, the target digit.
2️⃣ Then we replace the digits to the right of 4 with 0.
274,612 rounded to the nearest Thousands is 275,000. ✅
This number is closer to 275,000 than 274,000.
Great job.
Now, let's try rounding an even bigger number.
Round 35,264,910 to the nearest Millions place.
1️⃣ First, we look at the target place value.
Which digit is in the Millions place?
Yes, 5.
2️⃣ Now, we look at the digit to its right. 👉
This is the digit 2.
What do we do when the number is less than 5?
Yes, we round down.
We set all the digits to the right of the target to 0.
35,264,910 rounded to the nearest Millions place is 35,000,000. ✅
This number is closer to 35,000,000 than 36,000,000.
Excellent work learning how to round numbers!
Now, you're ready to practice.