Estimation is a Skill for Life.

As you walk around and live your life, imagine if you could easily estimate:

• how much a bill will be,
• which item is the best value for money
• the size, areas and angles of things

Also, it would be great if you could quickly guess how many people are in a room, how many cars in the street, how many boxes on the shelf, or even how many seagulls on the beach.

We are not talking exact answers here, but answers that are good enough for your life.

Exact vs Estimate

In mathematics we often stress getting an exact answer.

But in everyday life a few cents here or there are not going to make much difference ... you should focus on the dollars!

Estimation is finding a number that is close enough to the right answer.

• You are not trying to get the exact right answer
• What you want is something that is good enough (usually in a hurry!)
  • Remember an estimation should ALWAYS be done before solving. We NEVER solve and then come back and put an estimate.
• Estimations are used to help us check the reasonableness of an answer. For example, students can use an estimate to check to see it their decimal is in the correct place after solving a decimal problem.

Estimating Whole Numbers Game