Estimating Sums and Differences Worksheets

How to Estimate Sums - Math is, for sure, a very tricky subject, but there are many questions and many definitions within the subject that are easy and fun to solve. If you have problems regarding what estimation is and you are unsure of how you can estimate a sum, then follow some very simple steps, and you will learn it in no time! But before we start, do you know what estimation is? Let us take a quick review! Estimation is a rough idea of what the value is equal to without having a proper idea of the number. Estimation requires operating mentally, and often there is no need to get an exact result, instead only an idea or an estimate is required of the outcome. Here is what you need to do to estimate a problem: 1. We only round the summands to the nearest tenth. 2. So, you need to remember that if the number is less than 5, we round down. 3. And if the number is 5 or greater than 5, we round up estimate. 4. Now, add the rounded numbers! 5. You are done!

How to Estimate Large Sums and Differences

Estimating differences is just like estimating sums. Difference is when you subtract one number from the other. The steps of estimation are almost the same. For example, if it’s a two-digit number then our aim to estimate to the nearest 10 meaning that there are two numbers. If it is a three-digit number, then you need to round it about or make an estimation to the nearest 100.

The second step is to subtract the new numbers. But remember you are not getting the exact answer. Estimation can only bring you as close as possible to the actual answer but be the accurate figure. This process is often carried out when money is involved. For example, having enough money in the supermarket to get the groceries. For example, when you have $40 and you want to buy groceries that are going to cost you around $28. So, you round it about to the nearest tenth which is $30.

58 estimated 60 (Nearest tenth). 33 estimated 30 (Nearest tenth). 60 – 30 = 30. This 30 is your estimated answer and difference and not the actual answer.

Practice Time

Here is some fun practice for estimating:
estimate the check at a restaurant or the cost of your groceries in the cart.
If you have a picture of a large number of items, portion off a section and count how many items are in that section. You can then multiply by how many sections there are in the whole picture.
This is sometimes called "clump counting."