Estimating Differences

Estimating Differences Worksheet

Read each question carefully and estimate the difference. Show your work or explain your reasoning for each estimate.

1. Estimate the difference: 876 - 321. Round to the nearest hundred.  

2. A school has 1,289 students and 745 teachers and staff. Approximately how many more students are there than teachers and staff? Round to the nearest ten.  

3. Estimate the difference between 5,982 and 2,015 by rounding to the nearest thousand.  

4. Which is the best estimate for the difference of 14.7 - 8.2?

5. A recipe calls for 3.85 cups of flour. You only have 1.15 cups. Approximately how much more flour do you need? Round to the nearest whole number.

6. Estimate the difference: 7/8 - 1/4. Explain your rounding strategy.

7. A ribbon is 5 1/2 feet long. You cut off 2 1/8 feet. Approximately how much ribbon is left? Round to the nearest half.

8. True or False: When estimating 93 - 48 by rounding to the nearest ten, the estimated difference is 40.

9. True or False: The estimated difference of 10.32 - 4.97, rounded to the nearest whole number, is 5.

10. A farmer harvested 1,560 pounds of apples and 890 pounds of pears. Estimate how many more pounds of apples than pears were harvested. Round to the nearest hundred.