Worked Example
The length of a road, l, is given as l=3.6km , correct to 1 decimal place. Find the lower
and upper bounds for l
The degree of accuracy is 1 decimal place, or 0.1 km
Divide this value by 2
0.1 ÷ 2 = 0.05
The true value could be up to 0.05 km above or below the given value
Upper bound: 3.6 + 0.05 = 3.65 km
Lower bound: 3.6 - 0.05 = 3.55 km
Upper bound: 3.65 km
Lower bound: 3.55 km
This could also be written as f
A room measures 4 m by 7 m, where each measurement is made to the nearest metre.
Find the upper and lower bounds for the area of the room.
Find the bounds for each dimension, you could write these as error intervals, or just
write down the upper and lower bounds
As they have been rounded to the nearest metre, the true values could be up to 0.5 m
bigger or smaller
3.5 ≤ 4 < 4.5
6.5 ≤ 7 < 7.5
Calculate the lower bound of the area, using the two smallest measurements
3.5 × 6.5
Lower Bound = 22.75 m2
Calculate the upper bound of the area, using the two largest measurements
4.5 × 7.5
Upper Bound = 33.75 m2
Worked Example
David is trying to work out how many slabs he needs to buy in order to lay a garden
path.
Slabs are 50 cm long, measured to the nearest 10 cm.
The length of the path is 6 m, measured to the nearest 10 cm.
Find the maximum number of slabs David will need to buy.
Find the bounds for each measurement
As they have been rounded to the nearest 10 cm, the true values could be up to 5 cm
bigger or smaller
Change quantities into the same units
Length of the slabs: 45 ≤ 50 < 55 cm
or in metres: 0.45 ≤ 0.5 < 0.55 m
Length of the path: 5.95 ≤ 6 < 6.05 m
The maximum number of slabs needed will be when the path is as long as possible
(6.05 m), and the slabs are as short as possible (0.45 m)
Maximum number of slabs =
Assuming we can only purchase a whole number of slabs, round up to nearest integer
The maximum number of slabs to be bought is 14