Watch: Using estimation to check your answers
You can use estimation to get a rough idea of a calculation. Round the numbers to make it easier.
Then do the calculation. If it's really different to the estimation, a mistake has been made.
Try re-doing the calculation or use a different method to find the answer.
You're going to jump off a platform as high as the number of people in the audience multiplied by your own height?
Wow, how high is that?
Er, 2567 metres… that seems pretty high!
You could use estimation to get an approximate answer and double check that you got it right.
You can estimate by rounding the numbers.
1.51 times 198 - that's pretty close to 1.5 times 200…
…Which is one and half times 200 and that's only 300 metres.
That's nowhere near 2567 metres!
If only you'd used estimation, you'd have noticed the problem!
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More on Rounding and estimating
Find out more by working through a topic
- count1 of 6
- count2 of 6
- count3 of 6
- count4 of 6
