Neighbour numbers and round numbers

You learn to find the number just before and just after a number, and the round tens and hundreds.

How to work it out

  1. The neighbour before is 1 less: take 1 away.
  2. The neighbour after is 1 more: add 1.
  3. With tens and hundreds you look at the round number before and after.

A worked example

248

  1. Look at the number 248.
  2. Take away 1 to get the number before: 248 − 1 = 247.
  3. Add 1 to get the number after: 248 + 1 = 249.
  4. The neighbouring numbers are 247 and 249.
More examples

65

  1. Find the round ten just below 65: that is 60.
  2. Find the round ten just above 65: that is 70.

567

  1. Find the hundred just below 567: that is 500.
  2. Find the hundred just above 567: that is 600.

Try it yourself

  1. Add 1 to the number

    What number comes right after 29?

  2. Find the round hundred just above

    Which round hundred comes just after 734?

Watch out

  • When you look for the neighbours, you change the tens instead of the ones by mistake.

    For the number before, take away exactly 1 from the ones. For the number after, add exactly 1.

Tips

  • For the previous number you do − 1, for the next number you do + 1.
  • Round tens always end in 0, and hundreds end in 00.

Why it works

Numbers stand in a fixed order. When you know which number comes before and after, you understand the number line better. That helps with quick counting and rounding.