Understanding Ceil and Floor Functions

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The discussion clarifies the definitions and applications of the ceil and floor functions in mathematics. The ceil function, which returns the smallest integer greater than or equal to a given number, was initially misunderstood, with examples incorrectly calculated. After reviewing the definitions, it was confirmed that ceil(4.5), ceil(4.1), and ceil(4.6) all equal 5. The floor function, conversely, returns the largest integer less than or equal to the number, with specific examples provided for both positive and negative numbers. Understanding these functions is essential for accurate mathematical computations involving integers and fractions.
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Its diifcult to express my question...so, i am posting this

ceil(4.5) =?
ceil(4.1)=?
ceil(4.6)=?
 
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ceil(x) is the smallest integer which is greater than or equal to x. In particular, if x is an integer, then ceil(x) = x, and if x is not an integer, then ceil(x) > x.
 
ceil(4.5)=4 // is it ok ?
ceil(4.1)=4 //is it ok ?
ceil(4.6)=5 //is it ok ?
 
momentum said:
ceil(4.5)=4 // is it ok ?
ceil(4.1)=4 //is it ok ?
ceil(4.6)=5 //is it ok ?
Nope, read the defintion given above, then try again.
 
ah...i see, all of them should be 5 ...i had confusion on fractional part .5.
but i see ..it does not care for .5 which we use for round-off.
 
Yes, all 5.
 
thank you for the clarifcation
 
Recall that

\begin{gathered}<br /> \forall x \in \left( {a,a + 1} \right)\;{\text{where }}a \in \mathbb{Z}, \hfill \\<br /> {\text{floor}}\left( x \right) = \left\lfloor x \right\rfloor = a \hfill \\<br /> {\text{ceil}}\left( x \right) = \left\lceil x \right\rceil = a + 1 \hfill \\ <br /> \end{gathered}

\forall x \in \mathbb{Z},\;\left\lfloor x \right\rfloor = \left\lceil x \right\rceil = x
 
Last edited:
ceil -> "goes up" if it needs to, in order reach an integer
floor -> "goes down" as it needs to, in order to reach an integer
What happens with negative numbers:

floor( -1.1 ) = -2 \; ceil( -1.1 ) = -1
floor( -0.1 ) = -1 \; ceil( -0.1 ) = 0
floor( 0.9 ) = 0 \; ceil( 0.9 ) = 1
 

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