approximation

This is the term used to describe a number, value or result which isn’t exactly correct, but it is close enough to the truth for it to be used.

For example, a bus journey from one side of a city to the other side takes 58 minutes. We can describe this as an hour journey. This is an approximation.

The ≈ sign is used to show two values which are more or less equal.

For example:

    • 15.02 \text m \approx 15 \text m

    • 6.34 \times 10.1 \approx 6 = 60