Round the number to the nearest tenth. 5.19
The correct answer and explanation is:
The number 5.19 rounded to the nearest tenth is 5.2.
Explanation:
Rounding a number to the nearest tenth involves looking at the digit in the hundredths place, which is the second digit after the decimal point. In the number 5.19, the digit in the hundredths place is 9. The rule for rounding is as follows:
- If the digit in the hundredths place is 5 or greater, round the tenths place up by one.
- If the digit in the hundredths place is less than 5, leave the tenths place unchanged.
In this case, since the hundredths digit is 9 (which is greater than 5), the digit in the tenths place (which is 1) gets rounded up to 2. Therefore, 5.19 becomes 5.2 when rounded to the nearest tenth.
General Steps for Rounding to the Nearest Tenth:
- Identify the digit in the tenths place (first digit after the decimal point).
- Look at the digit in the hundredths place (second digit after the decimal point).
- Apply the rounding rule:
- If the hundredths digit is 5 or higher, increase the tenths digit by 1.
- If the hundredths digit is lower than 5, leave the tenths digit unchanged.
- Drop all digits following the tenths place.
This method is essential for simplifying measurements, financial calculations, or any scenario where you need to represent a number in a more manageable form without losing significant accuracy.