Math Is Fun Forum

Sarah Rebekah18

Member

From: Alabama

Registered: 2014-12-08

Posts: 25

Estimating quotients.

How do you estimate 3/1267

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bobbym

bumpkin

From: Bumpkinland

Registered: 2009-04-12

Posts: 109,606

Re: Estimating quotients.

Hi;

Depends on how close you need to be.

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In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
If it ain't broke, fix it until it is.
Always satisfy the Prime Directive of getting the right answer above all else.

Bob

Administrator

Registered: 2010-06-20

Posts: 10,621

Re: Estimating quotients.

hi Sarah Rebekah18

I'd replace that number by 1250.  It's lower so my answer will come out higher.

As the exact answer is 0.00236....... I think that's a good estimate.

I chose 1250 because I knew it would 'go' exactly into 10000 so I could make the denominator simple and hence do the calculation in my head.

In general, I always look for a trick like that.  Can I make the numbers easier by a small approximation?  It helps if you know about factors.  In my head I could see this:

so I looked for a number that had factors of 5

and I stuck a '0' on the end to make it the right size.

Bob

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Children are not defined by school ...........The Fonz
You cannot teach a man anything;  you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo Galilei
Sometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you!  …………….Bob