Skill: Round numbers to any specified place value

To round a whole number to a specified place value:

1. Find the digit in the place you are rounding to.
2. Look at the digit immediately to its right.
3. If that digit is less than $5$, keep the rounding digit the same.
4. If that digit is $5$ or greater, increase the rounding digit by $1$.
5. Change every digit to the right of the rounding digit to $0$.

Example: Round $47{,}362$ to the nearest hundred.

• The hundreds digit is $3$:

$$47\boxed{3}62$$

• Look at the digit to its right, the tens digit, which is $6$.
• Since $6$ is at least $5$, increase the hundreds digit from $3$ to $4$.
• Replace the tens and ones digits with zeros.

So,

$$47{,}362 \approx 47{,}400$$

You can also picture this on a number line. The number $47{,}362$ is between $47{,}300$ and $47{,}400$. It is closer to $47{,}400$, so $47{,}400$ is the nearest hundred.

Rounding changes the way the number is written to make it easier to use for an estimate. It does not give the exact original value.