BI S 2002

B U R E A U O F I N D I A N S T A N D A R D S
MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI 110002
I S : 2 - 1960
(Reaffi r med 1990)
Edi t i on 2.3
(2000-08)
Pr i ce Gr oup 3
I ndi an St andar d
RULES FOR ROUNDI NG OFF
NUMERI CAL VALUES
( Revi sed )
(I ncor por at i ng Amendment Nos. 1, 2 & 3)
UDC 511.135.6
( Reaffirmed 2000 )
I S : 2 - 1960
B U R E A U O F I N D I A N S T A N D A R D S
MANAK BHAVAN, 9 BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR MARG
NEW DELHI 110002
I ndi an St andar d
RULES FOR ROUNDI NG OFF
NUMERI CAL VALUES
( Revi sed )
Engi neer i ng St andar ds Sect i onal Commi t t ee, EDC 1
Chai r man
DR K. S. KRI SHNAN Counci l of Sci ent i fi c & I ndust r i al Resear ch,
New Del hi
Member s
SHRI PREM PRAKASH ( Al ter nat e t o
Dr K. S. Kr i shnan )
ASSI STANT DI RECTOR Resear ch, Desi gn & St andar di zat i on Or gani zat i on
(Mi ni st r y of Rai l ways)
SHRI BALESHWAR NATH Cent r al Boar d of I r r i gat i on & Power , New Del hi
DEPUTY DI RECTOR GENERAL OF
OBSERVATORI ES
Di r ect or at e Gener al of Obser vat or i es (Mi ni st r y of
Tr anspor t & Communi cat i ons), New Del hi
DI RECTOR Engi neer i ng Resear ch Depar t ment , Gover nment
of Andhr a Pr adesh
SHRI S. B. JOSHI I nst i t ut i on of Engi neer s (I ndi a), Cal cut t a
SHRI R. N. KAPUR I ndi an Engi neer i ng Associ at i on, Cal cut t a
DR R. S. KRI SHNAN I ndi an I nst i t ut e of Sci ence, Bangal ore
SHRI S. R. MEHRA Counci l of Sci ent i fi c & I ndust r i al Resear ch, New
Del hi
SHRI S. N. MUKERJI
SHRI K. D. BHATTACHARJEE
( Al ter nat e )
Gover nment Test House, Cal cut t a
DR B. R. NI JHAWAN Counci l of Sci ent i fi c & I ndust r i al Resear ch, New
Del hi
SHRI V. R. RAGHAVAN Cent r al Wat er & Power Commi ssi on, New Del hi
BRI G J. R. SAMSON
LT-COL R. JANARDHANAM
( Al ter nat e )
Cont r ol l er of Devel opment (Ar mament s) (Mi ni st r y
of Defence)
( Cont i nued on page 2 )
I S : 2 - 1960
2
( Cont i nued fr om page 1 )
Member s
SHRI R. N. SARMA Di r ect or at e Gener al of Suppl i es & Di sposal s
(Mi ni st r y of Works, Housi ng & Suppl y)
SHRI J. M. SI NHA Engi neer i ng Associ at i on of I ndi a, Cal cut t a
SHRI J. M. TREHAN
SHRI T. N. BHARGAVA
( Al ter nat e )
Mi ni st r y of Tr anspor t & Communi cat i ons (Roads
Wi ng)
LT-GEN H. WI LLI AMS Counci l of Sci ent i fi c & I ndust r i al Resear ch,
New Del hi
DR LAL C. VERMAN ( Ex-offi ci o )
SHRI J. P. MEHROTRA
( Al ter nat e )
Di r ect or , I SI
Deput y Di r ect or (Engg), I SI
Secr et ar i es
DR A. K. GUPTA Assi st ant Di r ect or (St at ), I SI
SHRI B. N. SI NGH Ext r a Assi st ant Di rect or (St at ), I SI
I S : 2 - 1960
3
I ndi an St andar d
RULES FOR ROUNDI NG OFF
NUMERI CAL VALUES
( Revi sed )
0. F O R E W O R D
0.1 Thi s I ndi an St andar d (Revi sed) was adopt ed by t he I ndi an
St andar ds I nst i t ut i on on 27 Jul y 1960, aft er t he dr aft fi nal i zed by t he
Engi neer i ng St andar ds Sect i onal Commi t t ee had been appr oved by t he
Engi neer i ng Di vi si on Counci l .
0.2 To r ound off a val ue i s t o r et ai n a cer t ai n number of fi gur es, counted
fr om the l eft , and dr op t he ot her s so as t o gi ve a mor e r at i onal for m t o t he
val ue. As t he r esul t of a t est or of a cal cul at i on i s gener al l y r ounded off
for t he pur pose of r epor t i ng or for dr aft i ng speci fi cat i ons, i t i s necessar y
t o pr escr i be r ul es for r oundi ng off numer i cal val ues as al so for deci di ng
on t he number of fi gur es t o be r et ai ned.
0.3 Thi s st andar d was or i gi nal l y i ssued i n 1949 wi t h a vi ew t o pr omot i ng
t he adopt i on of a uni for m pr ocedur e i n r oundi ng off numer i cal val ues.
However , t he r ul es gi ven r efer r ed onl y t o uni t fi neness of r oundi ng
( see 2.3 ) and i n cour se of year s t he need was fel t t o pr escr i be r ul es for
r oundi ng off numer i cal val ues t o fi neness of r oundi ng ot her t han uni t y.
Mor eover , i t was al so fel t t hat t he di scussi on on t he number of fi gur es t o
be r et ai ned as gi ven i n t he ear l i er ver si on r equi r ed fur t her el uci dat i on.
The pr esent r evi si on i s expect ed t o ful fi l t hese needs.
0.4 I n pr epar i ng t hi s st andar d, r efer ence has been made t o t he
fol l owi ng:
I S : 787-1956 GUI DE FOR I NTER-CONVERSI ON OF VALUES FROM ONE
SYSTEM OF UNI TS TO ANOTHER. I ndi an St andar ds I nst i t ut i on.
I S : 1890 (PART 0)-1995/I SO 31-0 : 1992 QUANTI TI ES AND UNI TS :
PART 0 GENERAL PRI NCI PLES ( FI RST REVI SI ON ).
BS 1957 : 1953 PRESENTATI ON OF NUMERI CAL VALUES (FI NENESS OF
EXPRESSI ON; ROUNDI NG OF NUMBERS). Br i t i sh St andar ds
I nst i t ut i on.
AMERI CAN STANDARD Z 25.1-1940 RULES FOR ROUNDI NG OFF
NUMERI CAL VALUES. Amer i can St andar ds Associ at i on.
ASTM DESI GNATI ON : E 29-50 RECOMMENDED PRACTI CE FOR
DESI GNATI NG SI GNI FI CANT PLACES I N SPECI FI ED VALUES. Amer i can
Soci et y for Test i ng and Mat er i al s.
JAMES W. SCARBOROUGH. Numer i cal Mat hemat i cal Anal ysi s
Bal t i mor e. The John Hopki ns Pr ess, 1955.
I S : 2 - 1960
4
0.5 Thi s edi t i on 2.3 i ncor por at es Amendment No. 1 (Febur ar y 1997),
Amendment No. 2 (Oct ober 1997) and Amendment No. 3 (August 2000).
Si de bar i ndi cat es modi fi cat i on of t he t ext as t he r esul t of
i ncor por at i on of t he amendment s.
1. SCOPE
1.1 Thi s st andar d pr escr i bes r ul es for r oundi ng off numer i cal val ues for
t he pur pose of r epor t i ng r esul t s of a t est , an anal ysi s, a measur ement or
a cal cul at i on, and t hus assi st i ng i n dr aft i ng speci fi cat i ons. I t al so makes
r ecommendat i ons as t o t he number of fi gur es t hat shoul d be r et ai ned i n
cour se of comput at i on.
2. TERMI NOLOGY
2.0 For t he pur pose of t hi s st andar d, t he fol l owi ng defi ni t i ons shal l
appl y.
2.1 Number of Deci mal Places A val ue i s sai d t o have as many
deci mal pl aces as t her e ar e number of fi gur es i n t he val ue, count i ng
fr om t he fi r st fi gur e aft er t he deci mal poi nt and endi ng wi t h t he l ast
fi gur e on t he r i ght .
NOTE 1 For t he pur pose of t hi s st andard, t he expr essi on 10.32 10
3
shoul d
be t aken t o consi st of t wo par t s, t he val ue pr oper whi ch i s 10.32 and t he uni t of
expressi on for t he val ue, 10
3
.
2.2 Number of Si gni fi cant Fi gur es A val ue i s sai d t o have as many
si gni fi cant fi gur es as t her e ar e number of si gni fi cant di gi ts ( see Not e 2 )
i n t he val ue, count i ng fr om t he l eft -most non-zer o di gi t and endi ng wi t h
t he r i ght -most di gi t i n t he val ue.
Exampl es:
Val ue Deci mal Pl aces
0.029 50 5
21.029 5 4
2 000.000 001 6
291.00 2
10.32 10
3
2
( see Not e 1 )
Exampl es:
Val ue Si gni fi cant Fi gur es
0.029 500 5
0.029 5 3
10.029 5 6
2 000.000 001 10
5 677.0 5
567 700 6
56.77 10
2
4
0 056.770 5
3 900 4
( see Not e 3 )
I S : 2 - 1960
5
NOTE 2 Any of t he di gi t s, 1, 2, 3,............9 occur r i ng i n a val ue shal l be a
si gni fi cant di gi t (s); and zer o shal l be a si gni fi cant di gi t onl y when i t i s pr eceded by
some ot her di gi t (except i ng zer os) on i t s l eft . When appear i ng i n t he power of 10 t o
i ndi cat e t he magni t ude of t he uni t i n t he expr essi on of a val ue, zer o shal l not be a
si gni f i cant di gi t .
NOTE 3 Wi t h a vi ew t o r emovi ng any ambi gui t y regardi ng t he si gni fi cance of
t he zer os at t he end i n a val ue l i ke 3 900, i t woul d be al ways desi r abl e t o wri t e t he
val ue i n t he power -of-t en not at i on. For exampl e, 3 900 may be wr i t t en as 3.9 10
3
,
3.90 10
3
or 3.900 10
3
dependi ng upon t he l ast fi gur e(s) i n t he val ue t o whi ch i t
i s desi r ed t o i mpar t si gni fi cance.
2.3 Fi neness of Roundi ng The uni t t o whi ch a val ue i s r ounded off.
For exampl e, a val ue may be r ounded t o t he near est 0.000 01, 0.000 2,
0.000 5, 0.001, 0.002 5, 0.005, 0.01, 0.07, 1, 2.5, 10, 20, 50, 100 or any
ot her uni t dependi ng on t he fi neness desi r ed.
3. RULES FOR ROUNDI NG
3.0 The r ul e usual l y fol l owed i n r oundi ng off a val ue t o uni t fi neness of
r oundi ng i s t o keep unchanged t he l ast fi gur e r et ai ned when t he fi gur e
next beyond i s l ess t han 5 and t o i ncr ease by 1 t he l ast fi gur e r et ai ned
when t he fi gur e next beyond i s mor e t han 5. Ther e i s di ver si t y of
pr act i ce when t he fi gur e next beyond t he l ast fi gur e r et ai ned i s 5. I n
such cases, some comput er s r ound up, t hat i s, i ncr ease by 1, t he l ast
fi gur e r et ai ned; ot her s r ound down, t hat i s, di scar d ever yt hi ng beyond
t he l ast fi gur e r et ai ned. Obvi ousl y, i f t he r et ai ned val ue i s al ways
r ounded up or al ways r ounded down, t he sum and t he aver age of a
ser i es of val ues so r ounded wi l l be l ar ger or smal l er t han t he
cor r espondi ng sum or aver age of t he unr ounded val ues. However , i f
r oundi ng off i s car r i ed out i n accor dance wi t h t he r ul es st at ed i n 3.1 i n
one st ep ( see 3.3 ), t he sum and t he aver age of t he r ounded val ues woul d
be mor e near l y cor r ect t han i n t he pr evi ous cases ( see Appendi x A ).
3.1 Rounding Off t o Uni t Fi neness I n case t he fi neness of
r oundi ng i s uni t y i n t he l ast pl ace r et ai ned, t he fol l owi ng r ul es (except
i n 3.4) shal l be fol l owed:
Rul e I When t he fi gur e next beyond t he l ast fi gur e or pl ace t o be
r et ai ned i s l ess t han 5, t he fi gur e i n t he l ast pl ace r et ai ned shal l be l eft
unchanged.
Rul e I I When t he fi gur e next beyond t he l ast fi gur e or pl ace t o be
r et ai ned i s mor e t han 5 or i s 5 fol l owed by any fi gur es ot her t han zer os,
t he fi gur e i n t he l ast pl ace r et ai ned shal l be i ncr eased by 1.
Rul e I I I When t he fi gur e next beyond t he l ast fi gur e or pl ace t o be
r et ai ned i s 5 al one or 5 fol l owed by zer os onl y, t he fi gur e i n t he l ast pl ace
r et ai ned shal l be (a) i ncr eased by 1 i f i t i s odd and (b) l eft unchanged i f
even (zer o woul d be r egar ded as an even number for t hi s pur pose).
I S : 2 - 1960
6
Some exampl es i l l ust r at i ng t he appl i cat i on of Rul es I t o I I I ar e gi ven i n
Tabl e I .
3.1.1 The r ul es for r oundi ng l ai d down i n 3.1 may be ext ended t o appl y
when t he fi neness of r oundi ng i s 0.10, 10, 100, 1 000, et c. For
exampl e, 2.43 when r ounded t o fi neness 0.10 becomes 2.40.
Si mi l ar l y, 712 and 715 when r ounded t o t he fi neness 10 become 710
and 720 r espect i vel y.
3.2 Roundi ng Off t o Fineness Ot her than Unit y I n case t he
fi neness of r oundi ng i s not uni t y, but , say, i t i s n, t he gi ven val ue shal l
be r ounded off accor di ng t o t he fol l owi ng r ul e:
Rul e I V When r oundi ng t o a fi neness n, ot her t han uni t y, t he gi ven
val ue shal l be di vi ded by n. The quot i ent shal l be r ounded off t o t he
near est whol e number i n accor dance wi t h t he r ul es l ai d down i n 3.1 for
uni t fi neness of r oundi ng. The number so obt ai ned, t hat i s t he r ounded
quot i ent , shal l t hen be mul t i pl i ed by n t o get t he fi nal r ounded val ue.
Some exampl es i l l ust r at i ng t he appl i cat i on of Rul e I V ar e gi ven i n
Tabl e I I .
NOTE 4 The r ul es for r oundi ng off a val ue t o any fi neness of r oundi ng, n, may
al so be st at ed i n l i ne wi t h t hose for uni t fi neness of r oundi ng ( see 3.1 ) as fol l ows:
Di vi de t he gi ven val ue by n so t hat an i nt egr al quot i ent and a r emai nder are
obt ai ned. Round off t he val ue i n t he fol l owi ng manner :
a) I f t he remai nder i s l ess t han n/2, t he val ue shal l be r ounded down such t hat
t he r ounded val ue i s an i nt egr al mul t i pl e of n.
TABLE I EXAMPLES OF ROUNDI NG OFF VALUES TO UNI T
FI NENESS
VALUE FI NENESS OF ROUNDI NG
1 0.1 0.01 0.001
Rounded
Val ue
Rul e Rounded
Val ue
Rul e Rounded
Val ue
Rul e Rounded
Val ue
Rul e
7.260 4 7 I 7.3 I I 7.26 I 7.260 I
14.725 15 I I 14.7 I 14.72 I I I (b) 14.725
3.455 3 I 3.5 I I 3.46 I I I (a) 3.455
13.545 001 14 I I 13.5 I 13.55 I I 13.545 I
8.725 9 I I 8.7 I 8.72 I I I (b) 8.725
19.205 19 I 19.2 I 19.20 I I I (b) 19.205
0.549 9 1 I I 0.5 I 0.55 I I 0.550 I I
0.650 1 1 I I 0.7 I I 0.65 I 0.650 I
0.049 50 0 I 0.0 I 0.05 I I 0.050 I I I (a)
I S : 2 - 1960
7
b) I f t he r emai nder i s gr eat er t han n/2, t he val ue shal l be r ounded up such t hat
t he r ounded val ue i s an i nt egr al mul t i pl e of n.
c) I f t he r emai nder i s exact l y equal t o n/2, t hat r ounded val ue shal l be chosen
whi ch i s an i nt egr al mul t i pl e of 2n.
3.2.1 Fi neness of r oundi ng ot her t han 2 and 5 i s sel dom cal l ed for i n
pr act i ce. For t hese cases, t he r ul es for r oundi ng may be st at ed i n si mpl er
for m as fol l ows:
a) Roundi ng off t o fi neness 50, 5, 0.5, 0.05, 0.005, et c.
Rul e V When r oundi ng t o 5 uni t s, t he gi ven val ue shal l be
doubl ed and r ounded off t o t wi ce t he r equi r ed fi neness of r oundi ng i n
accor dance wi t h 3.1.1. The val ue t hus obt ai ned shal l be hal ved t o get
t he fi nal r ounded val ue.
For exampl e, i n r oundi ng off 975 t o t he near est 50, 975 i s doubl ed
gi vi ng 1 950 whi ch becomes 2 000 when r ounded off t o t he near est 100;
when 2 000 i s di vi ded by 2, t he r esul t i ng number 1 000 i s t he r ounded
val ue of 975.
b) Roundi ng off t o fi neness 20, 2, 0.2, 0.02, 0.002, et c.
Rul e VI When r oundi ng t o 2 uni t s, t he gi ven val ue shal l be
hal ved and r ounded off t o hal f t he r equi r ed fi neness of r oundi ng i n
accor dance wi t h 3.1. The val ue t hus obt ai ned shal l t hen be doubl ed t o
get t he fi nal r ounded val ue.
For exampl e, i n r oundi ng off 2.70 t o t he near est 0.2, 2.70 i s hal ved
gi vi ng 1.35 whi ch becomes 1.4 when r ounded off t o t he near est 0.1;
when 1.4 i s doubl ed, t he r esul t i ng number 2.8 i s t he r ounded val ue.
TABLE I I EXAMPLES OF ROUNDI NG OFF VALUES TO
FI NENESS OTHER THAN UNI T
VALUE FI NENESS OF
ROUNDI NG, n
QUOTI ENT ROUNDED
QUOTI ENT
FI NAL ROUNDED
VALUE
(1) (2) (3) = (1)/(2) (4) (5) = (2) (4)
1.647 8 0.2 8.239 8 1.6
2.70 0.2 13.5 14 2.8
2.496 8 0.3 8.322 7 8 2.4
1.75 0.5 3.5 4 2.0
0.687 21 0.07 9.817 3 10 0.70
0.875 0.07 12.5 12 0.84
325 50 6.5 6
3 10
2
1 025 50 20.5 20
10 10
2
I S : 2 - 1960
8
3.3 Successi ve Rounding The fi nal r ounded val ue shal l be obt ai ned
fr om t he most pr eci se val ue avai l abl e i n one st ep onl y and not fr om a
ser i es of successi ve r oundi ngs. For exampl e, t he val ue 0.549 9, when
r ounded t o one si gni fi cant fi gur e, shal l be wr i t t en as 0.5 and not as 0.6
whi ch i s obt ai ned as a r esul t of successi ve r oundi ngs t o 0.550, 0.55,
and 0.6. I t i s obvi ous t hat t he most pr eci se val ue avai l abl e i s near er
t o 0.5 and not t o 0.6 and t hat t he er r or i nvol ved i s l ess i n t he for mer
case. Si mi l ar l y, 0.650 1 shal l be r ounded off t o 0.7 i n one st ep and not
successi vel y t o 0.650, 0.65 and 0.6, si nce t he most pr eci se val ue avai l abl e
her e i s near er t o 0.7 t han t o 0.6 ( see al so Tabl e I ).
NOTE 5 I n t hose cases wher e a fi nal r ounded val ue t er mi nat es wi t h 5 and i t
i s i nt ended t o use i t i n furt her comput at i on, i t may be hel pful t o use a + or si gn
aft er t he fi nal 5 t o i ndi cat e whet her a subsequent roundi ng shoul d be up or down.
Thus 3.214 7 may be wr i t t en as 3.215 when r ounded t o a fi neness of
r oundi ng 0.001. I f fur t her r oundi ng t o t hr ee si gni fi cant fi gur es i s desi red, t hi s
number woul d be r ounded down and wr i t t en as 3.21 whi ch i s i n err or by l ess t han
hal f a uni t i n t he l ast pl ace; ot her wi se, r oundi ng of 3.215 woul d have yi el ded 3.22
whi ch i s i n er r or by mor e t han hal f a uni t i n t he l ast pl ace. Si mi l ar l y, 3.205 4 coul d
be wri t t en as 3.205+ when rounded t o 4 si gni fi cant fi gur es. Fur t her r oundi ng t o 3
si gni fi cant fi gur es woul d yi el d t he val ue as 3.21.
I n case t he fi nal 5 i s obt ai ned exact l y, i t woul d be i ndi cat ed by l eavi ng t he 5 as
such wi t hout usi ng + or si gn. I n subsequent r oundi ng t he 5 woul d t hen be
t r eat ed i n accor dance wi t h Rul e I I I .
3.4 The r ul es gi ven i n 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 shoul d be used onl y i f no speci fi c
cr i t er i a for t he sel ect i on of t he r ounded number have t o be t aken i nt o
account . I n al l cases, wher e safet y r equi r ement s or pr escr i bed l i mi t s
have t o be r espect ed, r oundi ng off shoul d be done i n one di r ect i on onl y.
4. NUMBER OF FI GURES TO BE RETAI NED
4.0 Per t i nent t o t he appl i cat i on of t he r ul es for r oundi ng off i s t he
under l yi ng deci si on as t o t he number of fi gur es t hat shoul d be r et ai ned
i n a gi ven pr obl em. The or i gi nal val ues r equi r i ng t o be r ounded off may
ar i se as a r esul t of a t est , an anal ysi s or a measur ement , i n ot her wor ds,
exper i ment al r esul t s, or t hey may ar i se fr om comput at i ons i nvol vi ng
sever al st eps.
4.1 Exper i ment al Result s The number of fi gur es t o be r et ai ned i n
an exper i ment al r esul t , ei t her for t he pur pose of r epor t i ng or for gui di ng
t he for mul at i on of speci fi cat i ons wi l l depend on t he si gni fi cance of t he
fi gur es i n t he val ue. Thi s aspect has been di scussed i n det ai l under 4 of
I S : 787-1956 t o whi ch r efer ence may be made for obt ai ni ng hel pful
gui dance.
4.2 Comput at ions I n comput at i ons i nvol vi ng val ues of di ffer ent
accur aci es, t he pr obl em as t o how many fi gur es shoul d be r et ai ned at
var i ous st eps assumes a speci al si gni fi cance as i t woul d affect t he
accur acy of t he fi nal r esul t . The r oundi ng off er r or wi l l , i n fact , be
i nject ed i nt o comput at i on ever y t i me an ar i t hmet i cal oper at i on i s
per for med. I t i s, t her efor e, necessar y t o car r y out t he comput at i on i n
I S : 2 - 1960
9
such a manner as woul d obt ai n accur at e r esul t s consi st ent wi t h t he
accur acy of t he dat a i n hand.
4.2.1 Whi l e i t i s not possi bl e t o pr escr i be det ai l s whi ch may be fol l owed
i n comput at i ons of var i ous t ypes, cer t ai n basi c r ul es may be
r ecommended for si ngl e ar i t hmet i cal oper at i ons whi ch, when fol l owed,
wi l l save l abour and at t he same t i me enabl e accur acy of or i gi nal dat a t o
be nor mal l y mai nt ai ned i n t he fi nal answer s.
4.2.2 As a gui de t o t he number of pl aces or fi gur es t o be r et ai ned i n t he
cal cul at i ons i nvol vi ng ar i t hmet i cal oper at i ons wi t h r ounded or
appr oxi mat e val ues, t he fol l owi ng pr ocedur es ar e r ecommended:
a) Addi ti on The mor e accur at e val ues shal l be r ounded off so as t o
r et ai n one mor e pl ace t han t he l ast si gni fi cant fi gur e i n t he l east
accur at e val ue. The r esul t i ng sum shal l t hen be r ounded off t o t he
l ast si gni fi cant pl ace i n t he l east accur at e val ue.
b) Subtr acti on The mor e accur at e val ue (of t he t wo gi ven val ues)
shal l be r ounded off, befor e subt r act i on, t o t he same pl ace as t he
l ast si gni fi cant fi gur e i n l ess accur at e val ue; and t he r esul t shal l be
r epor t ed as such ( see al so Not e 6 ).
c) Mul ti pl i cati on and Di vi si on The number of si gni fi cant fi gur es
r et ai ned i n t he mor e accur at e val ues shal l be kept one mor e t han
t hat i n t he l east accur at e val ue. The r esul t shal l t hen be r ounded
off t o t he same number of si gni fi cant fi gur es as i n t he l east
accur at e val ue.
d) When a l ong comput at i on i s car r i ed out i n sever al st eps, t he
i nt er medi at e r esul t s shal l be pr oper l y r ounded at t he end of each
st ep so as t o avoi d t he accumul at i on of r oundi ng er r or s i n such
cases. I t i s r ecommended t hat , at t he end of each st ep, one mor e
si gni fi cant fi gur e may be r et ai ned t han i s r equi r ed under (a), (b)
and (c) ( see al so Not e 7 ).
NOTE 6 The l oss of t he si gni fi cant fi gur es i n t he subt r act i on of t wo near l y
equal val ues i s t he gr eat est sour ce of i naccur acy i n most comput at i ons, and i t
for ms t he weakest l i nk i n a chai n comput at i on where i t occur s. Thus, i f t he val ues
0.169 52 and 0.168 71 ar e each cor r ect t o fi ve si gni fi cant f i gur es, t hei r
di ffer ence 0.000 81, whi ch has onl y t wo si gni fi cant fi gur es, i s qui t e l i kel y t o
i nt r oduce i naccur acy i n subsequent comput at i on.
I f, however, t he di ffer ence of t wo val ues i s desi r ed t o be corr ect t o k si gni fi cant
fi gur es and i f i t i s known befor ehand t hat t he fi r st m si gni fi cant fi gures at t he l eft
wi l l di sappear by subt r act i on, t hen t he number of si gni fi cant fi gur es t o be r et ai ned
i n each of t he val ues shal l be m + k ( see Exampl e 4 ).
NOTE 7 To ensur e a gr eat er degr ee of accur acy i n t he comput at i ons, i t i s al so
desi r abl e t o avoi d or def er as l ong as possi bl e cer t ai n appr oxi mat i on oper at i ons
l i ke t hat of t he di vi si on or squar e root . For exampl e, i n t he det er mi nat i on of
sucr ose by vol umet ri c met hod, t he expr essi on may be bet t er
eval uat ed by t aki ng i t s cal cul at i onal for m as 20w
1
( f
2
v
1
f
1
v
2
)/w
2
v
1
v
2
whi ch
woul d def er t he di vi si on unt i l t he l ast oper at i on of t he cal cul at i on.
20w
1
w
2
--------------
f
2
v
2
------
f
1
v
1
------
\ .
|
| |
I S : 2 - 1960
10
4.2.3 Exampl es
Exampl e 1
Requi r ed t o fi nd t he sum of t he r ounded off val ues 461.32, 381.6,
76.854 and 4.746 2.
Si nce t he l east accur at e val ue 381.6 i s known onl y t o t he fi r st deci mal
pl ace, al l ot her val ues shal l be r ounded off t o one mor e pl ace, t hat
i s, t o t wo deci mal pl aces and t hen added as shown bel ow:
The r esul t i ng sum shal l t hen be r epor t ed t o t he same deci mal pl ace as
i n t he l east accur at e val ue, t hat i s, as 924.5.
Exampl e 2
Requi r ed t o fi nd t he sum of t he val ues 28 490, 894, 657.32, 39 500
and 76 939, assumi ng t hat t he val ue 39 500 i s known t o t he
near est hundr ed onl y.
Si nce one of t he val ues i s known onl y t o t he near est hundr ed, t he
ot her val ues shal l be r ounded off t o t he near est t en and t hen added
as shown bel ow:
The sum shal l t hen be r epor t ed t o t he near est hundr ed as 1 465 100
or even as 1.465 10
5
.
Exampl e 3
Requi r ed t o fi nd t he di ffer ence of 679.8 and 76.365, assumi ng t hat
each number i s known t o i t s l ast fi gur e but no far t her .
461.32
381.6
76.85
4.75
924.52
2 849 10
89 10
66 10
3 950 10
7 694 10
14 648 10
I S : 2 - 1960
11
Si nce one of t he val ues i s known t o t he fi r st deci mal pl ace onl y, t he
ot her val ue shal l al so be r ounded off t o t he fi r st deci mal pl ace and
t hen t he di ffer ence shal l be found.
The di ffer ence, 603.4, shal l be r epor t ed as such.
Exampl e 4
Requi r ed t o eval uat e cor r ect t o fi ve si gni fi cant fi gur es.
Si nce = 1.587 450 79
= 1.577 973 38
and t hr ee si gni fi cant fi gur es at t he l eft wi l l di sappear on
subt r act i on, t he number of si gni fi cant fi gur es r et ai ned i n each
val ue shal l be 8 as shown bel ow:
The r esul t , 0.009 477 4, shal l be r epor t ed as such (or
as 9.477 4 10
3
).
Exampl e 5
Requi r ed t o eval uat e 35.2/ gi ven t hat t he numer at or i s cor r ect t o
i t s l ast fi gur e.
Si nce t he numer at or her e i s cor r ect t o t hr ee si gni fi cant fi gur es, t he
denomi nat or shal l be t aken as = 1.414. Then,
= 24.89
and t he r esul t shal l be r epor t ed as 24.9.
Exampl e 6
Requi r ed t o eval uat e 3.78t/5.6, assumi ng t hat t he denomi nat or i s
t r ue t o onl y t wo si gni fi cant fi gur es.
Si nce t he denomi nat or her e i s cor r ect t o t wo si gni fi cant fi gur es, each
number i n t he numer at or woul d be t aken up t o t hr ee si gni fi cant
679.8
76.4
603.4
1.587 450 8
1.577 973 4
0.009 477 4
2.52 2.49
2.52
2.49
2,
2
35.2
1.414
---------------
I S : 2 - 1960
12
fi gur es. Thus,
= 2,08.
The r esul t shal l , however , be r epor t ed as 2.1.
A P P E N D I X A
( Cl ause3.0 )
VALI DI TY OF RULES
A-1. The val i di t y of t he r ul es for r oundi ng off numer i cal val ues, as gi ven
i n 3.1, may be seen fr om t he fact t hat t o ever y number t hat i s t o be
r ounded down i n accor dance wi t h Rul e I , t her e cor r esponds a number
t hat i s t o be r ounded up i n accor dance wi t h Rul e I I . Thus, t hese t wo
r ul es est abl i sh a bal ance bet ween r oundi ng down and up for al l
number s ot her t han t hose t hat fal l exact l y mi dway bet ween t wo
al t er nat i ves. I n t he l at t er case, si nce t he fi gur e t o be dr opped i s
exact l y 5, Rul e I I I , whi ch speci fi es t hat t he val ue shoul d be r ounded t o
i t s near est even number , i mpl i es t hat r oundi ng shal l be up when t he
pr ecedi ng fi gur es ar e 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and down when t hey ar e 0, 2, 4, 6, 8.
Rul e I I I hence advocat es a si mi l ar bal ance bet ween r oundi ng up and
down ( see al so Not e 8 ). Thi s i mpl i es t hat i f t he above r ul es ar e fol l owed
i n a l ar ge gr oup of val ues i n whi ch r andom di st r i but i on of fi gur es occur s,
t he number r ounded up and t he number r ounded down wi l l be near l y
equal . Ther efor e, t he sum and t he aver age of t he r ounded val ues wi l l be
mor e near l y cor r ect t han woul d be t he case i f al l wer e r ounded i n t he
same di r ect i on, t hat i s, ei t her al l up or al l down.
NOTE 8 Fr om pur el y l ogi cal consi der at i ons, a gi ven val ue coul d have as wel l
been r ounded t o an odd number (and not an even number as i n Rul e I I I ) when t he
di scar ded fi gur es fal l exact l y mi dway bet ween t wo al t er nat i ves. But t her e i s a
pr act i cal aspect t o t he mat t er . The roundi ng off a val ue t o an even number
faci l i t at es t he di vi si on of t he r ounded val ue by 2 and t he r esul t of such di vi si on
gi ves t he corr ect r oundi ng of hal f t he or i gi nal unr ounded val ue. Besi des, t he
(r ounded) even val ues may gener al l y be exact l y di vi si bl e by many mor e number s,
even as wel l as odd, t han ar e t he (rounded) odd val ues.
3.78 3.14
5.7
-----------------------------
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