Estimate to solve word problems
Learn with an example
▶️ A treasure hunter discovered a buried treasure chest. He opened it up and discovered that it contained 714 diamonds and 180 rubies. About how many gems were in the chest? Choose the better estimate.
- 900
- 400
Add the number of diamonds and the number of rubies.
714 + 180 = ?
Round each number to the nearest hundred.
900 is the better estimate.
▶️ A picnic supply company puts 1,922 plastic cups in each shipment. About how many plastic cups are needed for 21 shipments? Choose the better estimate.
- 40,000
- 140,000
Multiply:
1,922 × 21 = ?
Round the first factor to the nearest thousand and the second factor to the nearest ten.
40,000 plastic cups is the better estimate.
▶️ A company has 71,760 customers. They send 32 e-mails to each customer. About how many total e-mails does the company send? Choose the better estimate.
- 1,800,000
- 2,100,000
Multiply:
71,760 × 32 = ?
Round the first factor to the nearest ten thousand and the second factor to the nearest ten.
2,100,000 e-mails is the better estimate.
Let’s practice! 🖊️
