Decimals can last quite a long time: 1/3 = 1.33333333333333 ...And continues on forever in the same pattern. 9/7 = 1.28571428571 ...And repeats this pattern forever as well. Pi, the most famous of all the decimals, goes on forever with no pattern at all. Due to the tendency of many numbers to not have perfect dividends, a system has been created to limit the number of decimal places present. Rounding decimals takes these never ending numbers and rounds them off to a shorter, and much easier to write, final product. To round decimals off, look at the smallest amount found in the number: 0.437 Decimals that end in a five or higher (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) are rounded up to the next whole number, therefore: 0.437 is rounded to 0.44 Decimals ending in a four or lower (4, 3, 2, 1) are rounded down to the number below it: 0.623 is rounded to 0.62 Rounding takes those large and unsightly strings of decimals and makes them into short and sweet, and in our opinion much more attractive, answers!