Final answer:
Estimate the number of notebooks you can buy with $45.67 if each costs $2.50 by rounding the total money to $46 and the cost per notebook to $2, which results in buying approximately 23 notebooks. This estimation respects the concept of significant figures and practicality in real-world scenarios.
Step-by-step explanation:
A real-world estimation problem involving dividing a decimal by a whole number could be: Imagine you have $45.67 and you want to buy as many notebooks as possible that cost $2.50 each. To estimate the number of notebooks you can buy, divide your total money by the cost of one notebook.
First, round $45.67 to $46 to make the division easier. Next, round $2.50 to $2. Now, divide the estimated amounts: $46 ÷ $2 = 23. So you can estimate that with $45.67, you could buy about 23 notebooks.
It's important to note that when using a calculator, it may give you a more precise answer than necessary. Significant figures play a role in determining the precision of an answer in calculations, and in real-world situations, estimation is often sufficient and practical.
Summary: When dividing a decimal by a whole number for estimation, round both numbers to make the division simpler and remember that the precision of your answer should respect the significant figures of the data you have.