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Study Guides > Mathematics for the Liberal Arts

C1.01 Overview

Topic C. Communicating the Precision of Measured Numbers

This topic includes Section 1. Reporting measurements Section 2. Rounding Section 3. Precision of a number, including the concept of significant digits Section 4. Identifying the interval of actual values for a rounded number.

Objectives:

  1. Practice the usual rules for rounding.
  2. Round a number to a given precision.
  3. Determine the implied precision of a rounded number, giving it in words, or by a number, or by underlining the significant digits.
  4. Understand why we don’t do two sequential rounding operations on a number, but do all rounding in one step.
  5. Understand that rounding numbers ending in exactly half is sometimes done in a different way.
  6. On a number line, graph the interval of actual values which are consistent with a rounded value.
  7. Use interval notation to give the interval of actual values which are consistent with a rounded value.
  8. Use inequality notation to give the interval of actual values which are consistent with a rounded value.
  9. For a given rounded number, find the maximum error due to rounding and express it as a percentage of the rounded number.

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  • Mathematics for Modeling. Authored by: Mary Parker and Hunter Ellinger. License: CC BY: Attribution.