Lower and Upper Bounds

(Edexcel Higher)
These questions are suitable for Higher Tier students
All questions can be done with a calculator

Model Answers


Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

1 The value of ! is 2.99 to 2 decimal places.

Write down the lower and upper bound for !

Lower bound ………………………………….

Upper bound ………………………………….

(Total for Question 1 is 2 marks)

2 The value for # on Prabhdeep’s calculator is 3.141592654

(a) Truncate this value of # to 4 decimal places.

………………………………….

(1)

(b) Prabhdeep says, “the value of # rounded to 4 decimal places is the same as its value truncated

to 4 decimal places”.

Is Prabhdeep correct?

Explain your answer.

………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…………………..

………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…………………..

………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…………………..

…………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…….

(1)

(Total for Question 2 is 2 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

3 Ben rounds a number, $, to two decimal places.

After rounding, $ is 9.32

Write down the error interval for $.

…………………… ≤ $ < ……………………

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

4 The height, ℎ, of a building is 2200 cm truncated to two significant figures.

Write down the error interval for ℎ.

…………………………………………………………….

(Total for Question 4 is 2 marks)

5 The attendance at a football match was reported as 11,200 to the nearest 100.

What was the highest possible attendance?

………………………………….

(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

6 The finishing time, (, in a race was given as 56.3 seconds, truncated to 1 decimal place.

What was the error interval for the time, (?

…………………………………………………………….

(Total for Question 6 is 2 marks)

7 ) = 12.1 to 1 decimal place

+ = 23 to 2 significant figures

Calculate the lower bound for + − )

………………………………….

(Total for Question 7 is 3 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

8 $ = 12.32 to 2 decimal places

/ = 1.4 to 1 decimal place

Work out the error interval for to 2 decimal places.

0
………………… ≤ < …………………

(Total for Question 8 is 3 marks)

9 2 =
4

5 = 130 correct to 2 significant figures

( = 12.5 correct to 3 significant figures

Calculate the upper bound for 2, giving your answer to 2 significant figures.

………………………………….

(Total for Question 9 is 3 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

10 85.2 cm (truncated)

15 cm

(nearest cm)

The radius of a cylinder is 15 cm to the nearest centimetre.

(a) What is the error interval for the diameter of the cylinder?

…………………………………………………………….

(3)

Shilah is calculating the volume, 6, of the cylinder.

She is given 85.2 cm as an approximate value for the length. This value has been truncated.

(b) What is the upper bound for the volume of the cylinder?

Give your answer in cubic centimetres to 3 significant figures.

…………………………………. cm3

(4)

(Total for Question 10 is 7 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

11 A container is being used to store boxes.

The dimensions of the container are 11.5 metres by 3 metres by 5 metres. These

measurements are all to the nearest half metre.

Each box is a cube with sides measuring 1 metre, to the nearest 10 centimetres.

What is the least number of boxes that can be packed in the container?

………………………………….

(Total for Question 11 is 5 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

12 The formula for calculating the time, (, that it takes a particle to increase its speed from 7

to 8, whilst it is accelerating at a rate of 9, is given by

:;<

( =

7 = 2.13 to 2 decimal places

8 = 3.04 to 2 decimal places

9 = 2.4 to 1 decimal place

Work out the value of (.

Give your answer to a suitable degree of accuracy and explain your choice of accuracy.

( = ………………………………….

(Total for Question 12 is 6 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

13 The lengths of the sides of a trapezium are shown in the diagram, along with the accuracy of

these measurements.

7.12 cm

to 2 decimal places

2.283 cm

to 3 decimal places

8.00 cm

to 3 significant figures

(a) Work out the area of the trapezium, giving your answer to a suitable degree of accuracy.

…………………………………. cm2

(5)

(b) Explain why you have given your answer to this degree of accuracy.

………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…………………..

…………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….………………………………….…….

(1)

(Total for Question 13 is 6 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

14 C

8.2 cm

52o

A B

ABC is a right-angled triangle.

Angle ABC = 90o

Angle BAC = 52o to 2 significant figures

BC = 8.2 cm to 1 decimal place

Calculate the lower bound of the length AC, to 1 decimal place.

AC = …………………………………. cm

(Total for Question 14 is 5 marks)

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Key Topic Practice Sheets Lower and Upper Bounds (Edexcel Higher)

15 A car travelled in a straight line. The car’s journey is represented on this velocity-time graph.

8 (m/s)


10







0 ( (s)
0 5 15

Velocity, 8, is in metres per second. Time, (, is in seconds.
All the readings on the graph have been rounded to 1 decimal place.

What was the maximum possible distance the car travelled during this journey?
Give your answer to the nearest metre.
























…………………………………. m

(Total for Question 15 is 6 marks)

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