The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is 20.
Here is a detailed explanation of how to arrive at this answer.
Rounding a number requires us to find a simpler, approximate value that is close to the original number. The specific instruction is to round 15.159 to the nearest ten. This means our final answer must be a multiple of ten, such as 10, 20, or 30.
First, it is essential to understand the concept of place value in the number 15.159. In this number, the digit ‘1’ is in the tens place, and the digit ‘5’ is in the ones place. The digits after the decimal point represent fractions of a whole number. Our focus is on the tens place, as the question directs.
The process of rounding involves these key steps. We begin by identifying the two consecutive multiples of ten that our number, 15.159, falls between. These multiples are 10 and 20. Our task is to determine whether 15.159 is closer to 10 or to 20.
To make this determination, we use a standard rounding rule. We look at the digit immediately to the right of the place we are rounding to. Since we are rounding to the tens place (where the ‘1’ is), we must examine the digit in the ones place, which is ‘5’.
The rule is as follows: if the digit to the right of the target place is 5 or greater (that is, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9), we round up. If this digit is 4 or less (that is, 4, 3, 2, 1, or 0), we round down.
In our number, 15.159, the digit in the ones place is 5. According to the rule, because this digit is 5, we must round the digit in the tens place up. The digit in the tens place is ‘1’, so rounding it up makes it ‘2’. After rounding, all digits to the right of the target place become zero. This means the ones place becomes a 0, and we can disregard the decimal part entirely. Therefore, the number 15.159 rounds up to 20.
We can verify this by considering the midpoint between 10 and 20, which is 15. Any number that is 15 or greater will round up to 20. Since 15.159 is greater than 15, rounding up to 20 is the correct procedure. Thus, 15.159 rounded to the nearest ten is 20.
