If you were in the supermarket and saw that one item cost £2.03, another item cost £3.95 and a third item cost £2.99, you could stop and do a written calculation to find the total cost, but it would often be helpful to start with an approximation or an estimate of the cost. Without doing any written calculations, what do you think the approximate total cost of these three items would be?

Worked Example

• Estimate
  • 76 + 296 + 82
  • 69 x 84

Exercise 1

Calculators are very useful for finding accurate answers. But it is easy to make a typo on a calculator. To avoid the risk of this being a problem, it is a good idea to estimate the solution before you use the calculator, so you can then sense check your answer.

Worked Example

What is 52 x 8

Exercise 2

Answers to the two exercises above