Final answer:
To round 260,987 to the nearest ten thousand, look at the digit in the thousands place ('0') and the digit to its right ('9'). Since '9' is greater than 5, round up, changing the ten thousands place to '1' and zeros after it. So, 260,987 rounded to the nearest ten thousand is 270,000.
Step-by-step explanation:
When rounding 260,987 to the nearest ten thousand, you look to the digit in the thousands place which is '0' in this case, and then look to the digit to its right to decide whether to round up or down. If that digit is 5 or higher, you round up, and if it's 4 or lower, you round down. Since the digit to the right of the thousands place in 260,987 is '9', which is greater than 5, you round up. Thus, the '0' in the ten-thousands place becomes '1' and all digits following become zeroes. The result of rounding 260,987 to the nearest ten thousand is 270,000.