Meaning of rounding error | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The difference between the result of a calculation using exact arithmetic and finite-precision, rounded arithmetic.
   countable, uncountable
2. A negligible fraction of something.
   broadly, countable, uncountable

Equivalents

Examples

“The rocket's malfunction was down to a rounding error in the mathematics of its trajectory guidance.”

“In an email, a computer program⟳ named Statcheck informed him that a 2013 paper he had published on multiculturalism and prejudice appeared to contain⟳ a number⟳ of incorrect calculations – which the program⟳ had catalogued and then posted on the internet for anyone to see⟳. The problems turned out to be minor – just a few rounding errors – but the experience⟳ left Kauff feeling rattled.”

“In the budget of the rocket forces, the 200 thousand dollars for the investigation was a mere rounding error.”

“Microsoft's chief executive, Steve Ballmer, recently called Chrome's market share⟳ “a rounding error, to date⟳” in an interview with TechCrunch.”

“As Carl Emmerson, deputy head of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “The size of the UK’s public finances means you can give⟳ away £1bn a year and it’s not much more than a rounding error.””

“The sum of money involved is small and, compared to the trillions of dollars traded each year, almost a rounding error.”

CEFR level