Simple Rules for Rounding Numbers Correctly

Simple Rules for Rounding Numbers Correctly Rounding numbers is important to preserve significant figures in calculations and to record long numbers. In everyday life, rounding is useful in calculating a tip at a restaurant and dividing the bill among diners. or in estimating the amount of cash required for a trip to the grocery store. When rounding whole numbers there are two rules to remember: First, you must understand the term rounding digit. When asked to round to the closest 10, your ​rounding digit is the second number from the right, or 10s place, when working with whole numbers. When asked to round to the nearest hundred, the third place from the right is the rounding digit or 100s place. Rules for Rounding Whole Numbers Determine what your rounding digit is and look to the right side of it. If the digit is 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4, do not change the rounding digit. All digits that are on the right-hand side of the requested rounding digit will become 0.If the digit is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9, your rounding digit rounds up by one number. All digits that are on the right-hand side of the requested rounding digit will become 0. Rounding Rules for Decimal Numbers Determine what your rounding digit is and look to the right side of it. If that digit is 4, 3, 2, or 1, simply drop all digits to the right of it.If that digit is 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 add one to the rounding digit and drop all digits to the right of it. Some teachers prefer another method, which provides more accuracy and is sometimes referred to as the Bankers Rule. When the first digit dropped is 5 and there are no digits following or the digits following are zeros, make the preceding digit even (i.e., round off to the nearest even digit). Following this rule, 2.315 and 2.325 both round to 2.32- instead of 2.325 rounding up to 2.33- when rounded off to the nearest 100th. The rationale for the third rule is that approximately half of the time the number will be rounded up and the other half of the time it will be rounded down. Examples of How to Round Numbers 765.3682 becomes: 1,000 when asked to round to the nearest 1,000800 when asked to round to the nearest 100770 when asked to round to the nearest 10765 when asked to round to the nearest one (1)765.4 when asked to round to the nearest 10th765.37 when asked to round to the nearest 100th765.368 when asked to round to the nearest (1,000th) Rounding comes in handy when you are about to leave a tip at a restaurant. Lets say your bill is $48.95. One rule of thumb is to round to $50 and leave a 15 percent tip. To quickly figure out the tip, say that $5 is 10 percent, and to reach 15 percent you need to add half of that, which is $2.50, bringing the tip to $7.50. If you want to round up again, leave $8- if the service was good, that is.

How to Open a Genealogy GEDCOM File

How to Open a Genealogy GEDCOM File If youve spent much time online researching your family tree, then it is likely that youve either downloaded a GEDCOM file (extension .ged) from the Internet or received one from a fellow researcher. Or you may have an old GEDCOM file on your computer from research you entered years ago into a now-defunct family history software program. In other words, you have a nifty family tree file which may contain vital clues to your ancestors and your computer cant seem to open it. What to do? Open a GEDCOM File Using Stand-Alone Genealogy Software These instructions will work to open GEDCOM files in most family tree software programs. See your programs help file for more specific instructions. Launch your family tree program and close any open genealogy files.In the top: powellgedcomClick Save or Import.The program may then ask you to make a few choices regarding the import of your GEDCOM file. Just follow the directions. If youre not sure what to select, then just stick with the default options.Click OK.A confirmation box may appear stating that your import was successful.You should now be able to read the GEDCOM file in your genealogy software program as a regular family tree file. Upload a GEDCOM File to Create an Online Family Tree If you dont own family tree software, or prefer to work online, you can also use a GEDCOM file to create an online family tree, allowing you to easily browse the data. However, if you have received a GEDCOM file from someone else, you should be sure to get their permission before using this option as they may not wish the information they have shared with you to be available online. Most online family trees do offer the option to create a completely private tree (see below). Some online family tree builder programs, most notably Ancestry Member Trees and MyHeritage, include an option to start a new family tree by importing a GEDCOM file. From the Upload a Family Tree page on Ancestry, click on the Browse button to the right of Choose a file. In the window that comes up, browse to the appropriate GEDCOM file on your hard drive. Select the file and then click the Open button.  Enter a name for your family tree and accept the submission agreement (read it first!).From the main MyHeritage page, select Import Tree (GEDCOM) under the Get Started button. Navigate to the file on your computer and click Open. Then select Get Started to import the GEDCOM file and create your family tree (dont forget to read the Service Terms and Privacy Policy!). Both Ancestry.com and MyHeritage.com offer options to create a completely private online family tree, viewable only by you, or the people you invite. These are not the default option settings, however, so if you want a private family tree you will need to take a few extra steps. See What are the Privacy Options for My Family Site? on MyHeritage or Privacy for Your Family Tree on Ancestry.com for step-by-step instructions.