Rounding means adjusting a number to be closer to a nearby number with a specific place value, which in this case is the nearest ten.
To round a number to the nearest ten, look at the units digit:
- If it is 5 or more, round up.
- If it is less than 5, round down.
Let's break it down with an example:
For 51, the units digit is 1. Since 1 is less than 5, we round down to 50.
For 78, the units digit is 8. Since 8 is greater than or equal to 5, we round up to 80.
This way, we simplify the numbers to make multiplication easier. Using rounding, we turn 51 and 78 into 50 and 80, respectively, which are much simpler to work with.