Rounding to the Nearest Hundred

Rounding to the nearest hundred works exactly the same way.

An example

347 sits between 300 and 400. Halfway is 350. 347 is before it.

So 347 rounds to 300.

Look at the whole number

349 still rounds to 300, even though the 9 looks big. It is the tens that decide.

The same question, one place bigger

To round 342 to the nearest hundred, ask whether it is closer to 300 or 400. The halfway point is 350, and 342 is below it, so the answer is 300. Nothing about the method changed — only which pair of landmarks you are choosing between.

Which digit to look at

When rounding to hundreds, the tens digit decides, because the tens and ones together are what you are comparing against fifty. When rounding to tens, the ones digit decides. Always look at the digit immediately to the right of the place you are rounding to.

Different roundings of the same number

342 rounds to 340 to the nearest ten and 300 to the nearest hundred. Both are correct answers to different questions. Always check what you are rounding to before you start; the number alone does not tell you.