Rounding to the Nearest Ten

Basics on the topic Rounding to the Nearest Ten
Nearest Ten – Rounding
Imagine you are given candy as a gift, but instead of the promised seven candies you even get ten! This means that the candy seller rounded up to the nearest ten – what a happy day! But how exactly do you round to the nearest ten? In this text, you will learn how to round numbers to the nearest ten with examples and easy explanations.
How to Round to the Nearest Ten
When rounding off to the nearest tens, a place value chart can help you. You will need a place value chart with hundreds, tens and ones, like the one below:
If you are now asking yourself “how do I round to the nearest ten?”, take a look at the following example and steps:
When rounding to the tens, first you identify the tens place. Next you look at the place value to the right, which is the ones place. If the number in the ones place is below five, we round down to the nearest ten and keep the tens place the same. If the number in the ones place is five or above, we round up to the nearest ten, meaning we add one to the number in the tens place. Every place value to the right of the tens place becomes zero, and any numbers to the left of the tens place stay the same.
Here's an overview of the steps required if you want to round to the nearest ten. Follow these steps to round to the nearest ten:
Step # | What to do |
---|---|
1 | Identify the tens place number. |
2 | Look at the number to the right in the ones place value. |
3 | If the ones place number is below five, round down. |
4 | If the ones place number is five or above, round up. |
5 | If you are rounding down, keep the number in the tens place the same and replace the ones place with a zero. |
6 | If you are rounding up, add one to the number in the tens place and replace the ones place with a zero. |
Rounding to the Nearest Ten – Examples
Below you can find some more examples of how to round each number to the nearest ten. Both examples require rounding to the nearest tens place to find the solution.
Rounding Down to the Nearest Ten
The number here is 572. First, we identify the number in the tens place, which is a 7. Then, we go to the place value to the right, the ones place. Here we see a 2. Two is a number that is below five, so we know we need to round down to the nearest ten. This means the 7 in the tens place stays the same, and we replace the number in the ones place value with zero. The 5 in the hundreds place stays the same. This means 572 rounded to the nearest ten is 570.
Rounding Up to the Nearest Ten
The number here is 47. First, we identify the number in the tens place again, which is a 4 here. In the ones place there is a 7. Seven is a number that is five or above, so we know we need to round up to the nearest ten. This means the 4 in the tens place becomes a 5 because we add one to it, and we replace the number in the ones place value with zero. So 47 rounded to the nearest ten is 50.
Rounding to the Nearest Ten – Summary
Remember, to round to the nearest ten, setting up a place value chart can be really helpful.
Follow these steps to round to the nearest ten:
- Identify the tens place number.
- Look at the number to the right in the ones place value.
- If the ones place number is below five, round down.
- If the ones place number is five or above, round up.
- If you are rounding down, keep the number in the tens place the same and replace the ones place with a zero.
- If you are rounding up, add one to the number in the tens place and replace the ones place with a zero.
You can also find a round to the nearest ten worksheet and practice problems after the video. Just click “start exercises” or “download worksheets”.
Transcript Rounding to the Nearest Ten
Skylar and Henry have received an invitation for a party. Opening it quickly, they see house sixty-six is the party location. However, the bus they take will only stop at houses of tens so they will use rounding to the nearest ten to calculate the closest stop to the party. When rounding to the nearest ten, we can use a place value chart to set up our hundreds, tens and ones columns. To round to the nearest ten, we look at the tens place. Then, we look at the place value to the right, which is the ones place. If the number in the ones place is below five, we round down to the nearest ten and keep the tens place number the same. If the number in the ones place is five or above, we round up to the nearest ten by adding one to the number in the tens place. The ones place is always replaced with a zero. Any numbers in place values before the tens place stay the same. Let’s practice with the number forty-seven. First, identify the tens place. Four is in the tens place. Now look at the place value to the right of the tens place. What number is in the ones place? Seven is in the ones place. Seven is five or above, so we round up to the nearest ten. This means the tens place becomes a five because we add one to it and we replace the ones place with a zero. Forty-seven rounded to the nearest ten is fifty. Let's look at another example. Here is the number five hundred and seventy-two. First, identify the tens place. What number is in the tens place? Seven is in the tens place. Next go to the place value to the right of the tens place, which is the ones place. What number is in the ones place? Two is in the ones place. Two is a number below five, so we round down to the nearest ten. This means the seven in the tens place remains the same, and the ones place is replaced with a zero. The hundreds place remains a five because it is before the tens place. Five hundred and seventy-two rounded to the nearest ten is five hundred and seventy. Now that you know how to round to the nearest ten, let’s help Skylar and Henry. Remember, the party is at house sixty-six. What is the first step? Identify the tens place. What number is in the tens place? Six is in the tens place. What is our next step? Next, identify the number in the ones place. What is the number in the ones place? Six is in the ones place. Six is a number above five, so should we round down or round up? We round up to the nearest ten. What is sixty-six rounded to the nearest ten? It is seventy. Sixty-six rounded to the nearest ten is seventy. Remember, when rounding to the nearest ten with place value we identify the number in the tens place then look at the place value to the right, which is the ones place. If the number in the ones place is below five, we round down to the nearest ten and keep the tens place number the same. If the number in the ones place is five or above, we round up to the nearest ten, meaning we add one to the number in the tens place. The ones place is always replaced with a zero, and any numbers in place values before the tens place stay the same. Let's tag along with Skylar and Henry as they travel to house seventy. Now they make their way down to the party. Wait a minute, there’s nobody at this house. “Henry, let me see that invitation again. Wait, did we have the invitation upside down?" "Yes, it's house number ninety-nine. Quick, let's go!” "Phew, we made it just in time!"