When to Round Up or Down with 5?

[mcnealymt]

Homework Statement

I'm very confused as to when your supposed to add up or down when a number follows a five.

Homework Equations

The Attempt at a Solution

For instance, round 5.65 to 1 decimal. THe answer is 5.6, isn't this because when an even number is followed by a five you round down?

However, I was always told that 5.65 rounded to 1 decimal place is simply 5.7

 

[mfb]

Usually, 5 is rounded up.
In computer science, "round down everything (including .9)" is common, and "round .5 to the nearest even number" is used, too (this can reduce rounding errors later).

 

[SteamKing]

I've always rounded up when the last digit is 5-9. Thus 5.65 = 5.7. In my experience, this is customary unless a special rule is imposed for a certain situation.

There is a lengthy article here about different types of rounding:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounding

 

[Yanick]

I've always done rounding 5 to the even number. Reasoning being that over the course of multiple rounding events you will round some up and some down thereby minimizing the skew to either direction.

 

[DeeNos]

. So which is correct?

I understand that rounding can be a confusing concept and it is important to have a clear understanding of when to round up or down. In general, the rule for rounding with 5 is to round up if the number to the right of 5 is 5 or greater, and to round down if the number to the right of 5 is less than 5. However, in some cases, there are specific rules for rounding with 5 that may differ based on the context or application.

In the example given, 5.65 rounded to 1 decimal place would be 5.7 because the number to the right of 5 is 6, which is greater than 5. Therefore, we round up to the nearest tenth.

However, in some situations, there may be different rules for rounding with 5. For instance, in financial contexts, there may be a rule to always round 5 up, regardless of the number to the right. This is to prevent potential errors or discrepancies in calculations.

It is important to always clarify the specific rules for rounding in a given situation to ensure accuracy and consistency. In scientific research, it is also important to maintain precision and document any rounding methods used to avoid any confusion or misinterpretation of data.