How_To_Be_Good_At_Math

24 NUMBERS •^ ESTIMATING

Approximately equal

Quick counting

In everyday life, we often don’t need to count something exactly.

It’s enough to have a good idea of how many things there are or

roughly how big something is.

Estimation is finding

something that is close

to the correct answer.

These three baskets of strawberries

all cost the same, but they contain

different numbers of strawberries.

Equal

We’ve already learned

the symbol to use for

things that are equal.

Approximately equal

This is the symbol we use for things

that are nearly the same. In maths, we say

they are approximately equal.

We don’t actually have to count to

see that the third basket contains

more strawberries than the other two.

So, the third basket is the best bargain.

Estimating

Sometimes when we’re measuring or calculating, we

don’t need to work out the exact answer – a sensible

guess, called an estimate, is good enough.

Any

basket for

£1

Compare the baskets to

estimate which one has the

most strawberries in it

024_025_Estimating_Numbers.indd 24 29/02/2016 14:08