ESTIMATION AND APPROXIMATION

1. (a) Evaluate 21.6  28.3 using a calculator.

(b) Round off your answer in (a) to
(i) 1 significant figure,
(ii) the nearest integer.

Ans: (a) _____________________ [1]

(b) (i) ________________ [1]

(ii) ________________ [1]

2. (a) Use your calculator to evaluate the following expressions, giving your answers
correct to 3 significant figures.
1
(i)  29  3 3
7
3
 1
 1   412
(ii)  9
84
45.015  0.522
(b) Estimate the value of and correct the answer to the nearest integer.
2.412  3.962

Ans: (a) (i) [1]

(ii) [1]
(b) [2]

3. Express 0.06666 to
(i) the nearest thousandths,
(ii) 2 decimal places,
(iii) 3 significant figures.

Ans: (i) [1]

(ii) [1]

(iii) [1]
4. (a) 101
Showing your method clearly, estimate the value of , giving your answer correct to
4.95
1 significant figure.
(b) Express 345 square centimetres in square metres.
(c) Convert 36 km/h to m/s.

Ans: (a) [2]

(b) m2 [1]

(c) m/s [2]

5. Evaluate
(i) 5.82  20  652  0.35 , giving your answer correct to 2 significant
figures, [1]
1  4 1 
3  1  6 
2  5 3
(ii) , giving your answer correct to 2 decimal places. [1]
7 
3

 
8 


 6. (a) 8
Express 1 as a recurring decimal.
15
(b) Hence round off your answer in (a) to
(i) 3 decimal places
(ii) 3 significant figures

Answer (a)…………………………… [1]

(b) (i) …………………. [1]

(ii) …………………. [1]

7. (a) Correct 0.007658 to

(i) 3 significant figures,
(ii) 4 decimal places.

(b) State the number of significant figures in

(i) 12.320,
(ii) 7300.

Answer (a)(i) ……..…………………. [1]

(ii) ……………………….. [1]

(b)(i) ………………………… [1]

(ii) ………………….…….. [1]

42.15  2.9637
8. Estimate, correct to one significant figure, the value of .
3
998  4.0291

Answer ………………..………………. [3]

9. Using a calculator, evaluate each of the following, giving your answers correct to
3 significant figures.
 3  16 1 
(a)  2 7  4   5  3   0.5 ,
  

12235.4  2.6
(b) .
0.22  0.73

Answer (a)………………..………………… [2]

(b)………………….……………….. [2]

10. Express
(a) 768 254 correct to nearest 1000.
(b) 2.5945 correct to 3 decimal places
(c) 0.012345 correct to 3 significant figures

11. (a) Express 83 750.304 correct to

(i) 2 decimal places,
(ii) 3 significant figures.

24.991  3 27.02
(b) Estimate the value of , giving your answer
 2.0001
2
 0.998
correct to one significant figure.

Answer (a)(i) …....…………….… [1]

(ii) ………....……….… [1]
(b)……...………………... [2]
12. (a) Use your calculator to evaluate the following.
0.301299
(i) , giving your answer correct to 2 decimal places.
13.364  1.292 [2]

1 3

(ii) 17 19 , giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures. [2]
2 4
 (3 )
13 5
Estimate the value of ( 7.02 2 – 5.99 2 + 3.01) x 3
125.001 .
(b) [2]
Give your answer to one significant figure.

(c) Mrs Rich wants to put tiles on the floor of her rectangular kitchen,
measuring 6.98 m by 10.032 m. The tiles will cost $31.79 per square
metre. Estimate the amount of money Mrs Rich will need to tile the floor.
Give your answer correct to the nearest hundred dollars. [3]
13. Use your calculator to evaluate

265
(i) , [2]
1.039  0 .0078  0.34 2

2 42 
24    2.5   (5)3
125 9  3 
(ii) , [2]
4.24  105

giving both the answers correct to 3 significant figures.

14. Without using the calculator, estimate, correcting your answer to 1 significant figures, the value
37.997  24.9068
of:
49.5346



Answer: [2]

15. (a) Estimate the following to 2 significant figures:

(i) 276.93
(ii) 0.05039

276.93
(b) Hence, estimate the value of to 1 significant figure.
0.05039

Ans(a)(i)_____________[1]

(ii) ____________[1]

Ans(b)_______________[1]
 5.083  10.5 2
16. Use a calculator to find the value of giving your
4.12  67.9
answer correct to 3 significant figures.

Ans(a)___________________________[2]

17. Round off the following.

(a) 37853.0271 to 4 significant figures,
(b) 89.72 kg to the nearest 100 g.

Answer: (a) _______________________ [1]

(b) _______________________ [1]

18. Evaluate the following.
18.32  3.5 2
(a) , giving your answer correct to 3 decimal places,
57.21  2.97
4.033  9.75
(b) , giving your answer correct to 3 significant figures.
3 2
1 
17 7

Answer: (a) _______________________ [1]

(b) _______________________ [1]

19. 6.38 2  119.1

Estimate, without the use of a calculator, the value of , giving your
3
28.012
answer correct to 1 significant figure. Show your working clearly. [4]
20.
Evaluate the following, giving your answer correct to 2 decimal places.

2
 1 
3
 126  (1.234 )  1  ( 4.91)
 5 

Answer: ____________________ [2]

21. Presha buys 4 pens at 48 cents and 6 files at $2.99 each at the school bookshop. The
shopkeeper asks for $16.50. Show, by using estimation, that the shopkeeper has made
a mistake. And, write your explanation in words on the lines below.

Answer: The shopkeeper has made a mistake because ________________________

_________________________________________________________________ [2]

22. Express the following numbers to the degree of accuracy stated.

(a) 0.0476 correct to the nearest hundredth.
(b)  137.712 correct to the nearest integer.

(a) _____________________ [1]

(b) _____________________ [1]

23. Round off 21.973 to

(a) 1 decimal place
(b) 3 significant figures

Answer: (a) _________________ [1]

(b) _________________ [1]

24. (a) Express, correct to 2 significant figures:
(i) 9.975
(ii) 26.898
(iii) 3.018
9.975  3 26.898
(b) Hence, estimate the value of .
3.018

Ans: (a) (i) [1]

(ii) [1]

(iii) [1]

(b) [2]

25. (a) Estimate the following to 2 significant figures

(i) 25475,

(ii) 1.4990,

(iii) 0.05048.

(b) Hence, estimate the value of 25475  1.4990 to 1 significant figure.

0.05048 100

Answer: (a) (i)………………………………[1]

(ii)………………………………. [1]

(iii)………………………………. [1]

(b).…….……..…………………….....[2]
 26. (a) Express, correct to 2 significant figures:

(i) 818.245
(ii) 5.043

(b) Hence estimate, correct to 1 significant figure, the value of

(i) 818.245 x 5.043

818.245
(ii)
5.043

Answer: (a)(i) ____________________ [1]

(ii)____________________ [1]

(b)(i) ____________________ [1]

(ii)____________________ [1]

27. (a) Round off the following numbers to 2 significant figures.

(i) 641.512,

(ii) 0.020193.

641.512
(b) Use your result in (a) to estimate the value of , giving your answer in 1
0.020193
significant figure.

Ans: (a)(i) _________________ [1]

(ii) _________________ [1]

(b) _________________ [2]

28. (a) Evaluate the following using a calculator:
{424  [13  (12  52)]  3}
(i) , leaving your answer as a fraction.
 3
 2 
 4
1 1
(ii) 1 + , leaving your answer as a fraction.
5 1 1
  
 2 3

(8.53  60  3 2345 )
(ii) , correct to 3 significant figures.
136  8

Ans: i) _________________ [1]

ii) _________________ [1]

iii) _________________ [2]

29. (a) The length and breadth of a rectangular sheet of metal are measured and recorded as 8.76
metres and 4.09 metres respectively. Estimate, correct to one significant figure,
(i) the perimeter in metres,
(ii) the area, in square metres.

Ans: (i) _________________ [2]

(ii) _________________ [2]

30. By showing your workings clearly, estimate the value of

35.3  9.9  0.99

.
3
27.01  2.01

Ans: ___________________________ [2]

31. (a) Use a calculator to evaluate each of the following, giving your answer to
the degree of accuracy specified.

(123) 3  (34.8) 2
(i) (3 decimal places) [1]
0.42  2565
 3  16 
2
(ii)  2  4     8.5 (3 significant figures) [1]
 7  5 
(1.23)2  4.56
(iii) (5 significant figures) [1]
7.89
32. Use your calculator to find the value of
7.14  2.56 2
(a) , giving your answer correct to 2 decimal places; and [2]
15.21
 1  3  3 
(b) 3      1   2  5 , giving your answer correct to 4 significant figures. [2]
 2   4 

33. (a) Express correct to two significant figures.

(i) 365.21,
(ii) 0.02571.
(b) Hence, estimate, correct to one significant figure, the value of 365.21 0.02571.

Ans: (a) (i) [1]

(a) (ii) [1]

(b) [1]

34. (a) Express

2
(i) as a decimal, giving your answer correct to two decimal places,
3
(ii) 102 200 000 correct to three significant figures.

(b) Estimate the value of 10 900  0.0442, giving your answer correct to 1 significant
figure.

Answer (a)(i) [1]

(ii) [1]

(b) [2]
 35. (a) An integer is estimated as 2000 if it is rounded off to 1, 2 or 3 significant figures
respectively.
(i) Find the maximum possible value of the integer.
(ii) Find the minimum possible value of the integer

8.955  24.127
(b) Estimate the value of correct your answer to the nearest integer.
3.0149  3.962

(a)(i)………………………….[1]

(a)(ii)………………………….[1]

(b)…………………………. [2]