Step by step
The question
Question: the height is 1.65 m, to 2 decimal places.
Find the upper and lower bounds.
The real height was rounded.
We want the smallest and the biggest it could have been.
1 Find the step
2 decimal places: we rounded to the nearest 0.01.
So the step is 0.01.
2 Half a step
Anything less than half a step away rounds to 1.65.
Half of 0.01 is 0.005.
3 Find the bounds
The lower bound is 1.65 minus 0.005: 1.645.
Careful!
We go only half a step down and half a step up.
1.64 would round to 1.64, not to 1.65.
The upper bound is 1.65 plus 0.005: 1.655.
4 Show it on a number line
So 1.645 ≤ height < 1.655.
This is called the error interval.
5 Check
Let's check.
1.645, rounded to 2 decimal places, is 1.65.
And 1.654, just under the upper bound, also rounds to 1.65.
So the bounds are right!
Let's look back.
First: find the step.
Then: half a step.
Then: find the bounds.
Then: show it on a number line.
Last: check.