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#1 2007-06-09 20:35:48

Identity
Member
Registered: 2007-04-18
Posts: 934

Just a quickie

If a question asks you to find the 'minimum number of weeks' an investment will surpass $1000 and

a) If there are 1 or 2 decimal places
b) If there is an irrational number of weeks

For each scenario do you round down or leave as a decimal. What do you Think?

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#2 2007-06-09 20:54:15

Tri
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Registered: 2007-06-09
Posts: 3

Re: Just a quickie

a). Pretty sure you round down did that type of maths just this year.
b). What do you mean by irrational?

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#3 2007-06-09 21:00:34

Identity
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Registered: 2007-04-18
Posts: 934

Re: Just a quickie

Here's a good page on irrational numbers:

http://www.mathsisfun.com/irrational-numbers.html

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#4 2007-06-10 04:47:09

Ricky
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Registered: 2005-12-04
Posts: 3,791

Re: Just a quickie

Round down?  No.  This would give an incorrect answer because you need more than this many weeks to get it.

Round up.


"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

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#5 2007-06-10 04:48:28

Ricky
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Registered: 2005-12-04
Posts: 3,791

Re: Just a quickie

I should post this in another thread, but from the link to irrational numbers:

with no pattern to the numbers.

With no repeat to the numbers.  There are many irrationals with patterns, they just don't repeat.


"In the real world, this would be a problem.  But in mathematics, we can just define a place where this problem doesn't exist.  So we'll go ahead and do that now..."

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#6 2007-06-11 04:12:00

Identity
Member
Registered: 2007-04-18
Posts: 934

Re: Just a quickie

Ricky wrote:

Round down?  No.  This would give an incorrect answer because you need more than this many weeks to get it.

Round up.

Eh... so you mean round up in BOTH cases?

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