If the digit beyond what you are rounding is higher than 5, round up,
lower than 5, round down. If equal to 5, round to the even digit. For
example,

3.4 rounds to 3
3.5 rounds to 4
3.6 rounds to 4

4.4 rounds to 4
4.5 rounds to 4
4.6 rounds to 5

        Using this "even digit" method (though an odd will also work), errors do
not accumulate as multiple random rounded numbers are added.

Harold


On Thu, 31 May 2001 01:48:00 +1000 Roman Black <fastvid@EZY.NET.AU>
writes:
> I was tabulating some data tonight, ie, doing
> a division on my pocket calculator and then rounding
> the number to three decimal places, then writing
> the figure down on paper.
>
> How do people round numbers to the nearest decimal
> place on their pocket calculators?
>
> My whole life I have checked if the last digit is
> 5, then if so check the next digit is 5, etc,
> then once you get to a non-5 round it up or down.
> Hope that makes sense.
>
> So:
> 3.12471 = 3.125
> 3.12441 = 3.124
> 3.1245551 = 3.124
> 3.1245556 = 3.125
>
> This just can't be right!
> How were you taught? I started using pocket
> calculators when they had led digits, probably
> before I was 10 years old. I'm sure in school we
> were taught to round digits like that. ??
> -Roman
>
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