what is -0.143 as a whole number

Daniel Parker

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17-03-2025

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What is -0.143 as a Whole Number?

The question "What is -0.143 as a whole number?" requires understanding what a whole number is and how to round decimal numbers. A whole number is a non-negative number without any fractions or decimals. It's a number from the set {0, 1, 2, 3,...}.

Since -0.143 is a negative decimal number, it cannot be directly represented as a whole number. There's no whole number equivalent to a negative decimal. To answer this question appropriately, we need to consider rounding.

Rounding -0.143 to the Nearest Whole Number

Rounding is a method of approximating a number to its nearest whole number. The rules for rounding are straightforward:

• If the decimal part is 0.5 or greater, round up to the next whole number.
• If the decimal part is less than 0.5, round down to the nearest whole number.

In the case of -0.143:

The decimal part is 0.143, which is less than 0.5. Therefore, we round down. Rounding -0.143 down to the nearest whole number gives us 0.

Important Note on Negative Numbers and Rounding

Rounding negative numbers follows the same rules as positive numbers. The only difference is that you're rounding towards zero for negative numbers that are between -0.5 and 0.

Therefore, while -0.143 is not a whole number, its closest whole number representation is 0. Keep in mind that this is an approximation; rounding always involves some loss of precision.