Table of Contents
- Estimation Definition
- Summary
- Did You Know?
- What’s Next?
In our previous segment of Measurement, we have learnt about the units of measurement. We shall now learn the concept of Estimation. This will help us to quickly add, subtract, multiply and divide huge numbers.
What is Estimation?
Estimation is a method used to roughly calculate or measure something. Let us understand this with an example.
- Adam has invited 91 guests to his house for a dinner party and he needs to order plates.
If he orders exactly 91 plates, he may face two issues:
- If a few guests do not attend the party, there will be less than 91 guests attending the party and he would be left with more dinner plates.
- If some guests decide to bring their family or friends along, then there will be more than 91 guests at the party. In that case, he would fall short of plates.
So how many plates should he order, more than 91 or less than 91?
The possible solution cannot be less than 91 because no guest can be turned away without food. Hence, Adam should order more than 91 plates. So 100 plates would be a good approximation.
Let us consider one more example.
- You have to distribute chocolates in your class on your birthday. There are 42 students in all. How many chocolates will you buy?
If you buy exactly 42 chocolates, you may encounter the following scenarios.
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- If some of the students take more than one chocolate, you will fall short of chocolates.
- On the other hand, if some students are absent, you may end up having extra chocolates.
