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Lesson Planning Sheet Title: Limits of accuracy Learning Objectives: By the end of the lesson: All students should be able to calculate the upper and lower bounds for a number rounded to the nearest power of ten and decimal place using a number line. Most students should be able to calculate the upper and lower bounds for a number rounded to the nearest power of ten and decimal place using mental methods. Some students should be able to calculate the upper and lower bounds for a number rounded to the nearest power of ten, decimal place and significant figure. Keywords: Limits of accuracy, Upper Bound, Lower Bound, Approximate. Learning Activities Starter/Introduction Students recap evaluating a calculation using the order of operations and rounding to a decimal place. Use this activity to discuss a suitable accuracy for the calculation. Move on to considering other approximations that would be equivalent to rounding to the second decimal place, i.e., significant figures. Development Discuss how in real life no measurement is completely accurate. For example, a weight could be rounded to the nearest Kg or gram but in reality maybe to the microgram. Therefore, we need to consider the limits of accuracy when using measurements. For the first example on the second slide use the number line to demonstrate all the numbers would be rounded to 20. A common misconception is to write the upper bound to be . However, by definition it is stated at 20.5. When working with numbers that have been rounded to a significant figure or decimal place it is important to use the number line for the first few examples to recap each approximation. Additional examples are provided in the interactive Excel file. As learning progresses students should be able to use mental methods to calculate the upper and lower bounds rather than using number lines. Students should be able to work through the problems on the third slide independently. Feedback solutions throughout to maintain pace. Plenary The plenary is intended to assess the progress made throughout the lesson by addressing each of the differentiated learning objectives. Show the first example and have solutions presented on mini-whiteboards for assessment and feedback. When ready, move on to the second problem and again feedback. Differentiation More able: Students could calculate the maximum and minimum values of calculations using the limits of accuracy. Less Able Students may need to use a number line throughout the lesson to calculate the limits of accuracy. Resources: Mini-whiteboards Interactive Excel File