Title: What is Rounding Numbers?
Course: PW-Course-Import-Test > Section: Module 3: Acceptance Criteria

Module 3

A quality inspector is sometimes required to round numbers for the numerical values they have measured. Numbers can be rounded up or rounded down. Rounding rules may differ from company to company. We round numbers pretty often but do not realize we are doing it. Take for example that your spouse asks you what the grocery bill was. You paid $97.95 for groceries in the morning. When telling this to your spouse you may round the dollar amount and tell them that the grocery bill was $100. What you did in your head was round up the dollar amount. You did not follow any rounding rules just some logic.

However all engineering and medical device companies have rules around rounding. This helps everyone round numbers in the same exact way.

A rounded number has about the same value as the number you start with, but it is less exact. Here are some another example of rounding.

- 341 rounded to the nearest hundred is 300. That is because 341 is closer in value to 300 than to 400.
- When rounding off to the nearest dollar, $1.89 becomes $2.00, because $1.89 is closer to $2.00 than to $1.00

Rounding Rules

- If the number you are rounding is followed by 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, round the number up.

Example: 38 rounded to the nearest ten is 40

- If the number you are rounding is followed by 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, round the number down.

Example: 33 rounded to the nearest ten is 30

 | Watch

Here is a great video on rounding numbers.