From: Gail (for Teacher2Teacher Service)
Date: Feb 08, 1999 at 20:31:16
Subject: Re: Front End Estimation

Here's an idea just quickly off the top of my head. If I were in a store, 
tallying the total quickly in my head as I went, and I had pruchases of 5.45,   
6.49, 7.48, 2.42, and 1.49, rounding would get me the answer to 5 + 6 + 7 + 2 
+ 1, or 21. 

With front end estimation I would add the whole numbers, getting $21, and 
then refine that estimate by noting that there are about $2.50 more there, 
for an estimate of $23.50.  The actual sum is $23.33.  Now, if I wasn't 
worried about the money I was spending, either method would do it for me.  If 
I am trying to quickly get as close as I can to an amount, front-end 
estimation could be a quick way to do that.

 -Gail, for the Teacher2Teacher service

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