Math problems.........

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi all! I am new here and really need some help. I am at the end of my 1st semster LVN program, with one day left. This morning, my instructor pulled me aside and informed me that I did not pass my last math test because I did not round my answers up or down, like 3.6363 would be the answer, but rounded to the nearest tenth or hundreth, it would be 3.6 or hundreths would be 3.64. Well, she said that my dimensional analysis was perfect, and my answers are right, but that I did not round up or down. The instructions on the test were to carry answers out to 2 decimal places.....I did that. Now she says because I did not round up or down, I am wrong. Unless I am mistaken, I thought rounding in this case would be to get a "useable" dosage, or a good rounded number.............I am so angry right now because she says that she really should not let me pass to the next semester for this.........How is rounding or not rounding going to kill my patient???

If I have the dosages correct, I can worry about rounding when I am drawing up my medication at that time................She says my math was flawless other than that..........I don't get it. This whole term has been awful, the instructors are hags, none of them can agree with each other on skills testing, etc. How can you fail someone who has great grades otherwise over rounding or not rounding?? Am I wrong??

Please Help!!! :angryfire

Specializes in Utilization Management.
i have a question...

What is the difference between carrying your answer to the hundreth, or rounding to two decimal places. Isnt it the same, you carry to the hundreth, in all your steps, and have your final answer to the hundreth.

In tests, you have to show the teacher you know what you r talking about. She doesnt know whats in your mind. By leaving an answer to 3.6343, she might think that you think you can actually draw that amount into a syringe.

The OP knew that wasnt possible, and had in her mind decided that she would round when she was actualy getting the medication, but the teacher doesnt know that.

Maybe the moral of this story is to show the teacher all you know, even if the instructions are unclear

I do feel bad for you, but you will be fine after redoing the test :D

Actually, there is a difference. If the answer is to the hundredths, so be it. You go to the hundredths and bingo, you're done.

If the answer is to round to the hundredths, you have to take the extra steps to carry the answer out one more place and then round it up or down, final answer is in the hundredths.

In any of my math classes, if I failed to follow the instructions, the answer would be marked wrong, regardless of how "correct" the calculations were.

oh thanks for clearing that up angie. If someone told me to carry my answer my to the hundreths, i would automatically round to the hundreths. Good to know there is a different between the two, so i dont make that mistake

thankyou

What I've always understood, is if they ask you to carry to the hundredths place, you look to the next place after that and then round to the hundredths place according to what the following number is/was.

Ex: 3.6363

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If you are to stop at the 3.63, you would need to look at the next number (6) in this case, and then round the 3 up to 4 so the final number to the hundredths place would be 3.64.

But this is just what I've been doing in chem, so I'm not sure if there is a difference in your situation. I've just always done it this way. HTH's

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