Round off numbers from Soap calc again

[Natalie]

I must have been absent the day this was taught.

Which digit do I round off? Say I need to use 8.36 of water, do I round off the 3 or 6?

Say I need to use 2.238 of lye, again is it the 2, 3 or 8?

What I do know is that if the number is 5 or higher round it off to the next number. If lower than 5 it stays the same?

I was operating under the belief that it's the last number that's rounded off, but did a search on rounding off numbers and got confused.

I feel so stupid for asking this, but I have nowhere else to turn. You'd never know from this question that my last 3 or 4 batches came out wonderful!~ Ok not totally wonderful, the scent disapeared in one, the swirls didn't work out in another, but they're soap, no mushy or oily stuff. I don't know how I did it, but maybe it is the last digit that you round off? I just want to be sure, I'm making soap tonight.

 

[Guest]

Natalie your scale reads in ounces and tenths. That means that anything lesser than a tenth needs to be rounded off. Let's look at the following numbers, all ounces:

10.1045 = 10 ounces and 1 tenth.

9.856 = 9 ounces and 8 tenths but the 5 tells us you need to round up so make that 9.9 ounces.

11.2495 = 11 ounces and 2 tenths and the 4 indicates that no increase is needed.

You round off to the nearest tenth based on the number of the hundredth. If the hundredth is 5 or higher you add another tenth. If the hundredth is 4 or less you just drop it and forget it.

I hope this helps. In my next post I'll teach you everything you need to know about n-dimensional tensor differential calculus.

 

[Natalie]

Can you dumb that down for me a little more?

So I'm round off the second number to the right of the decimal point?

Would that make the first number after the decimal point the 5's, then the next number the 10's and so on?

 

[Guest]

If the second number to the right of the decimal point is 5 or higher, increase the first number to the right of the decimal point by 1.

If the second number to the right of the decimal point is 4 or lower, just throw it away and forget the rest.

Got it?

 

[Natalie]

Thanks, that works for me!

 

[Guest]

LOL I sometimes talk too much, elaborate too much. Obviously "sweet and simple" works better. Have fun!