Mental Math Tricks
Lesson 1 of 3 6 min +40 XP

Adding by Rounding

Round to a friendly number, then adjust.

What you'll learn

  • Understand adding by rounding
  • Apply it to real examples
  • Check yourself with a quiz
The grocery tally

At the checkout you add $19 + $6 by thinking '$20 + $6 = $26, then take away the extra $1' — $25. Rounding to a friendly number and adjusting is how people add fast without a calculator.

Round, add, adjust

To add a number near a ten, round it up to the ten, add, then subtract what you added. 48 + 7 → 50 + 7 = 57, minus 2 = 55.

Knowledge Check

+10 XP / correct

1. Add 29 + 6 by rounding.

2. What is a good 'friendly number' near 48?