Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 8
- Year 8
Degrees of accuracy
I can appreciate what is meant by a suitable degree of accuracy.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- When calculating often 3 significant figures is the required degree of accuracy.
- When working with integers in context different degrees of accuracy may be appropriate.
- When working with decimals in context different degrees of accuracy may be appropriate.
Keywords
Degree of accuracy - A degree of accuracy shows how precise a number or measurement is. E.g. to the nearest cm, nearest 10, 1 s.f., etc
Common misconception
Rounding prematurely during multi-step calculations.
Encourage the use of fractions (where possible) or the use of the 'ANS' button.
To help you plan your year 8 maths lesson on: Degrees of accuracy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 8 maths lesson on: Degrees of accuracy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 3 maths lessons from the Estimation and rounding unit, dive into the full secondary maths curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Licence
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A degree of accuracy shows how precise a number or is. For example, to the nearest cm, to the nearest 10 or to 1 significant figure.
Q2.Match each number to the correct statement.
100.56 -
1 is the first significant figure
0.569 -
5 is the first significant figure
0.0086023 -
8 is the first significant figure
0.00040003 -
4 is the first significant figure
3680.0036 -
3 is the first significant figure
Q3.Round 0.0434 to 2 significant figures.
Q4.Round 0.007006 to 3 significant figures.
Q5.Round 0.0896 to 2 significant figures.
Q6.Round 0.00600736 to 3 significant figures.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A of accuracy shows how precise a number or measurement is.
Q2.The average size of a secondary school in 2024 was 1050. This number is most likely to have been rounded to which degree of accuracy?
Q3.The average temperature in the UK in 2024 was 10.93°C. This is most likely to have been rounded to which degree of accuracy?
Q4.Match each situation to the most appropriate degree of accuracy.
Buckets of water to fill a paddling pool -
nearest integer
Number of pupils at a primary school -
nearest ten
Number of people living in a village -
nearest hundred
Height of Mount Everest in metres -
nearest thousand