Estimation Station: On Track
Approximation & Accuracy
All Aboard! Running a busy railway requires quick thinking. You don't always need the exact minute or penny—sometimes "roughly" is enough to keep the trains moving.
Estimation Station trains children to use rounding and approximation to check if calculated answers are reasonable. If a ticket is £19.50 and you buy 2, it should cost about £40. If the till says £400, something is wrong!
🚂 The Power of Estimation
- Sensible Checking: Using rounding to verify complex calculations quickly.
- Degrees of Accuracy: Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, or whole number.
- Real World Maths: Estimating time arrivals and travel costs.
Station Master Training (Year 6)
Rounding
Solve problems which require answers to be rounded to specified degrees of accuracy.
Estimation
Use estimation to check answers to calculations and determine, in the context of a problem,
an appropriate degree of accuracy.
👨👩👧 Travel Guide
Practice on journeys:
- "We've driven 48 miles, rounds to 50. Total trip is 100. We're about halfway!"
- "This snack is 89p. Let's call it £1. If we buy 3, it's about £3."
