What number, when rounded to the nearest tenth, is 43.6? My options are 43.657, 43.549, 43.65, or 43.55.
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer: 43.55
🧠 Explanation:
When rounding to the nearest tenth, we look at the hundredths place (the digit two places after the decimal). The rule for rounding is:
- If the hundredths digit is 5 or more, round the tenths digit up.
- If the hundredths digit is 4 or less, leave the tenths digit unchanged.
We are given four choices, and we want to know which one rounds to 43.6.
Let’s evaluate each:
✅ Option: 43.55
- Tenths: 5
- Hundredths: 5
- Since 5 (hundredths) is 5 or more, round tenths up from 5 → 6
- Final result: 43.6 ✅ ✅
❌ Option: 43.657
- Tenths: 6
- Hundredths: 5
- 5 means we round up the tenths → 6 becomes 7
- Result: 43.7 ❌
❌ Option: 43.549
- Tenths: 5
- Hundredths: 4
- Since 4 is less than 5, we don’t round up
- Final result: 43.5 ❌
❌ Option: 43.65
- Tenths: 6
- Hundredths: 5
- 5 means round up tenths → 6 becomes 7
- Final result: 43.7 ❌
✅ Conclusion:
Only 43.55 rounds to 43.6 when rounding to the nearest tenth. This is because its tenths digit is 5, and its hundredths digit is 5, which causes the tenths place to increase by 1 → becoming 6.
Thus, the correct answer is 43.55.