278 Essential Skills for Health Careers Success
Rounding Decimal Fractions
Decimal fractions can be rounded up or down for the specifi c degree of
accuracy required. The rounding off rule states that if the digit to the right
of the number you are rounding is 5 or greater, round it up to the next num-
ber. If the digit is less than 5, round the number down by deleting any dig-
its that follow the chosen place value. Leave the original digit unchanged.
Let’s suppose that a decimal must be accurate to two place values. To
round a number such as 17.363 up or down two places, you would fi rst
locate the digit two places to the right of the decimal point. In this case, that
number is 6. Next, look at the number that comes after the 6, which is 3.
Since that number is less than 5, you would round the number off to 17.36.
In the case of the number 17.367, the number 7 is greater than 5, so you
would have rounded the 6 up to a 7, making the number 17.37.
Percentages
The term used to describe part of a whole number is percentage. Percent
means per one hundred. Thirty percent, written as 30%, means 30 parts out
of 100 parts. Written as a fraction, it would be expressed as 30/100. A num-
ber can be written as a fraction, a decimal, or a percentage (Figure 10.5). To
solve mathematical problems, sometimes it may be necessary to convert a
percentage to a fraction or decimal fraction.
Calculating Percentages
To calculate a percentage, you must divide the part by the whole. Then
convert the decimal answer to a percentage by moving the decimal point
two places to the right and adding a percentage sign (%). This will tell you
what percentage represents the part of the whole.
Working with Decimal Fractions
1. Suzanne is a part-time occupational therapist. Her schedule for next
week has her working some partial shifts as well as a full shift. Suzanne’s
schedule looks like this:
Monday: 5½ hours
Tuesday: 5¼ hours
Wednesday: 6½ hours
Thursday: 3¼ hours
Friday: 8 hours
A. Convert the mixed numbers into decimal fractions.
B. Add the decimal fractions together to fi nd out how many total hours
Suzanne will be working next week.
2. Suzanne wakes up on Thursday with a sore throat. She calls her supervi-
sor to tell him she will not be working Thursday, but will be in on Friday.
Now how many hours will Suzanne work for the week?
Real Life Scenario