O LEVEL (P1)

LIMITS OF
ACCURACY
QUESTION'S
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1 (a) Maryam’s height is 1.52 m correct to the nearest centimetre.

State the lower bound of her height.

(b) The length of each of Maryam’s paces is 0.55 m.

She walks at a constant speed of 2 paces per second.
Calculate the distance, in kilometres, that she walks in one hour.

Answer (a) ................................................. [1]

(b) ........................................... km [2]

2 The cost of a chair, $x, is $70 correct to the nearest $10.

The cost of a desk, $y, is $900 correct to the nearest $50.

(a) Complete the table in the answer space.

(b) Find the lower bound of the total cost of a desk and 4 chairs.

Answer (a)
Lower Upper
Bound Bound
x
y [2]

(b) $............................................... [1]

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3 (a) The population of a city is given as 280 000, correct to the nearest ten thousand.
State the greatest possible error in the given value.

(b) The dimensions of a rectangular card are 7 cm by 4 cm, correct to the nearest centimetre.
Calculate the smallest possible perimeter of the card.

Answer (a) ................................................... [1]

(b) ..............................................cm [1]

4 (a) A rectangular table top is 100 cm long and 75 cm wide.

Both lengths are correct to the nearest 5 cm.
Find the least possible perimeter of the table.

(b) The area of a rectangular room is 22 m2, correct to the nearest square metre.
The width is 3 m, correct to the nearest metre.
Find the greatest possible length of the room.

Answer (a) .......................................cm [2]

(b) ........................................m [2]

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5 (a) A prism has a cross-section which is a regular hexagon.

How many planes of symmetry does this prism have?

Answer (a) ....................................................[1]

(b) The length and width of a rectangle are 50 cm and 15 cm respectively.

Each measurement is correct to the nearest centimetre.

(i) Write down the upper bound of the length.

(ii) Find the least possible perimeter of the rectangle.

Answer (b)(i) .......................................... cm [1]

(ii) ..........................................cm [1]

6 In a race, an athlete runs 1600 m at an average speed of 6 m/s.

The distance is given correct to the nearest 100 m and the speed correct to the nearest
metre per second.

(a) Complete the two statements in the answer space.

(b) Calculate the greatest possible time the race could have taken.

Answer (a) ............
distance < ................

............
speed < ...............[2]

(b) .................................seconds [1]

_______________________________________________________________________
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7 The mass of a marble is given as 5.4 grams, correct to the nearest tenth of a gram.

The mass of a box is given as 85 grams, correct to the nearest 5 grams.

(a) Complete the table in the answer space.

(b) Find the lower bound for the total mass of the box and 20 identical marbles.

Answer (a)
Lower Upper
bound bound
Mass of
1 marble ............. g ............. g
Mass of
the box ............. g ............. g
[2]

(b) ..............................................g [1]

8 A rectangular box has dimensions 30 cm by 10 cm by 5 cm.

A container holds exactly 100 of these boxes.

(a) Calculate the total volume, in cubic metres, of the 100 boxes.

(b) Each box has a mass of 1.5 kg to the nearest 0.1 kg.
The empty container has a mass of 6 kg to the nearest 0.5 kg.
Calculate the greatest possible total mass of the container and 100 boxes.

Answer (a) ................................... m3 [1]

(b) .................................... kg [2]

 9 5

Pencils are packed in a box.

Each pencil has a diameter of 7 mm, correct to the nearest millimetre.

(a) Write down the lower bound of the diameter of a pencil.

Answer (a) ............................... mm [1]

(b) Find the smallest width of a box that can always hold 8 pencils side by side.
Give your answer in centimetres.

Answer (b) ................................ cm [2]

10 (a) A box has volume 2.5 m3.

Express this volume in cm3.

Answer (a) .............................. cm3 [1]

(b) John has a length of string.

The string is 4 m long, correct to the nearest 10 cm.

(i) Write down the lower bound of the length of the string.
Give your answer in centimetres.

Answer (b)(i) ........................... cm [1]

(ii) John cuts off ten pieces of string.

Each piece is 5 cm long, correct to the nearest centimetre.

Find the minimum possible length of string remaining.

Give your answer in centimetres.

Answer (b)(ii) .......................... cm [2]

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11 The length of a side of an equilateral triangle is given as 41 mm, correct to the nearest millimetre.

(a) Write down the lower bound for the length of a side.

Answer (a) ............................. mm [1]

(b) Giving your answer in centimetres, calculate the lower bound for the perimeter of the triangle.

Answer (b) .............................. cm [1]

12 ABC is a triangle.
Angle A is 62°, correct to the nearest degree.
Angle B is 53.4°, correct to the nearest tenth of a degree.

(a) Write down the lower bound for angle B.

Answer (a) ...................................... [1]

(b) Calculate the upper bound for angle C.

Answer (b) ...................................... [2]

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13 (a) Add 55 minutes to 2.4 hours, giving your answer in hours and minutes.

Answer ................ hours ................ minutes [1]

(b) The mass of a bag of sugar is given as 1.5 kg, correct to the nearest tenth of a kilogram.

Write down the upper bound of this mass, giving your answer in grams.

Answer ..................................... g [1]

14 The length of a side of a square is given as 57 mm, correct to the nearest millimetre.

(a) Write down the upper bound for the length of a side.

Answer ................................ mm [1]

(b) Giving your answer in centimetres, calculate the upper bound for the perimeter of the square.

Answer .................................. cm [2]

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15 An empty lorry has a mass of 4.3 tonnes, correct to the nearest tenth of a tonne.

(a) What is the lower bound for the mass of the empty lorry?

Answer ..........................tonnes [1]

(b) The total mass of the lorry and its load is 6.8 tonnes, correct to the nearest tenth of a tonne.

Find the upper bound for the mass of the load.

Answer ..........................tonnes [1]

16 The length of a rectangular rug is given as 0.9 m, correct to the nearest ten centimetres.
The width of the rug is given as 0.6 m, correct to the nearest ten centimetres.

(a) Write down the upper bound, in metres, of the length of the rug.

Answer .................................m [1]

(b) Find the lower bound, in metres, of the perimeter of the rug.

Answer .................................m [1]

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17 The mass of a box is 2 kilograms, correct to the nearest kilogram.

(a) Write down the lower bound for the mass of the box.

Answer ............................... kg [1]

(b) The mass of a can is 350 grams, correct to the nearest 10 grams.

Giving your answer in kilograms, calculate the lower bound for the total mass of the box
and 20 identical cans.

Answer ............................... kg [2]

18 Sam and Tom ran 60 m.

Sam took 9.4 seconds, correct to the nearest tenth of a second.
Tom took 8 seconds, correct to the nearest second.

(a) Write down the upper bound for the time taken by Sam.

Answer ....................... seconds [1]

(b) Calculate the greatest possible difference between the time taken by Sam and the time taken
by Tom.

Answer ....................... seconds [1]

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19 The length of a side of a square is given as d cm, correct to the nearest 10 cm.

Find an expression in terms of d for

(a) the upper bound of the perimeter of the square,

Answer .......................................... cm [1]

(b) the lower bound of the area of the square.

Answer ......................................... cm2 [1]

B
20 In the diagram,
AOBt = 46°, correct to the nearest degree,
AOCt = 162°, correct to the nearest degree.

46° A
O
162°

t
(a) Write down the lower bound for AOB.

Answer ............................................... [1]

(b) Find the lower bound for BOt C .

Answer ............................................... [2]

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21 A rectangular garden has length 35 metres and width 25 metres.

These distances are measured correct to the nearest metre.

(a) Write down the upper bound of the length of the garden.

Answer ......................................................... m [1]

(b) Work out the lower bound of the perimeter of the garden.

Answer ......................................................... m [2]

22 The time taken to run a race is given as 54.3 seconds, correct to the nearest 0.1 of a second.

(a) Find the lower bound for the time taken.

Answer .......................................... s [1]

(b) The distance run is given as d metres, correct to the nearest metre.

Write down an expression, in terms of d, for the maximum possible average speed, in metres per
second.

Answer ..................................... m / s [1]

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23 An empty box has a mass of 0.8 kg correct to the nearest 0.1 kg.

(a) Write down the lower bound for the mass of the empty box.

Answer ................................... kg [1]

(b) The box is filled with books.

The total mass of the box and the books is 6 kg correct to the nearest kilogram.

Work out the lower bound for the mass of the books.

Answer ................................... kg [2]

24 At an athletics event, Dave and Ed each threw a javelin.

Dave threw 60 m, correct to the nearest 10 metres.
Ed threw 61 m, correct to the nearest metre.

(a) Write down the lower bound for the distance thrown by Dave.

Answer ............................................. m [1]

(b) Calculate the greatest possible difference between the distance thrown by Dave and the distance
thrown by Ed.

Answer ............................................. m [1]

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25 Anil has some sweets with a mass of 600 g, correct to the nearest 10 grams.

(a) Write down the lower bound of the mass of sweets.

Answer ........................................ g [1]

(b) Anil sells the sweets in small portions.

Each portion has a mass of 25 g, correct to the nearest gram.
He sells 10 portions of the sweets.

Calculate the lower bound of the mass of sweets remaining.

Answer ........................................ g [2]

26 A box has a mass of 1.7 kg, correct to the nearest 0.1 kg.

(a) Write down the lower bound for the mass of the box.

Answer ..................................... kg [1]

(b) The box holds 100 jars.

Each jar has a mass of 140 grams, correct to the nearest 10 grams.

Calculate the lower bound of the total mass of the box and 100 jars.
Give your answer in kilograms.

Answer ..................................... kg [2]

27 (a) A car travels at 84 km/h.

Calculate the number of metres that the car travels in one minute.

Answer ....................................... m [1]

(b) A runner completes a race in 12.3 seconds, correct to the nearest tenth of a second.

What is the lower bound for the runner’s time?

Answer .........................................s [1]

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28 A thermometer measures temperature correct to the nearest degree.

The outside temperature is measured as –8 °C.

(a) Write down the upper bound of the outside temperature.

Answer ...................................... °C [1]

(b) The inside temperature is measured as 10 °C.

Calculate the lower bound of the difference between the outside temperature and the inside
temperature.

Answer ...................................... °C [1]