Estimation and rounding Rounding to the nearest whole number

It is not always necessary to give the exact number. For example, if there were \(54,785\) inhabitants in a town, you could say that its population was approximately \(55,000\).

By doing this we have rounded \(54,785\) to the nearest thousand to give \(55,000\).

What is \(1,484.5\) to the nearest \(1,000\)?

It is between \(1,000\) and \(2,000\), but it is closer to \(1,000\), so round down.

\(1,484.5\) rounded to the nearest thousand is \(1,000\).

What is \(1,484.5\) to the nearest \(100\)?

\(1,484.5\) is between \(1,400\) and \(1,500\), but it is closer to \(1,500\), so round up.

\(1,484.5\) rounded to the nearest hundred is \(1,500\).

\(1,484.5\) lies between \(1,480\) and \(1,490\), but it is closer to \(1,480\), so round down.

\(1,484.5\) rounded to the nearest ten is \(1,480\).

\(1,484.5\) lies between \(1,484\) and \(1,485\) and it is exactly halfway between them. In this situation round up.

\(1,484.5\) rounded to the nearest whole number is \(1,485\).