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How do I change "23.96" CENTS into something that makes sense? Can I just say \$ $0.2396$? It's important that I keep the value behind the decimal I just don't know how.

Siminore
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Jade Elizabeth
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  • mostly you round to the nearest integer. Thus $23.96\approx 24$ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rounding#Rounding_to_integer – Matthias Dec 09 '14 at 14:57
  • I cannot do that, I'm calculating a bill and it needs to be exact.

    I'm comparing between two companies and one charges "0.2298" cents per kWh of electricity and this one charges "23.96" cents. I need them to both be like the first number for my spreadsheet. Please help.

     – Jade Elizabeth Dec 09 '14 at 14:59
  • @JadeElizabeth, if one company is charging 23.96 cents, I doubt the other is charging 0.2298 cents. The latter number should either be written as 22.98 cents or 0.2298 dollars. – Barry Cipra Dec 09 '14 at 15:07

1 Answers1

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Certainly you can say $\$0.2396$ People quote prices in fractional cents all the time. Usually they are things you buy in quantity. The only problem comes when you have to make change, but then you just round the value.

Ross Millikan
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  • So 0.2396 is correct? I was worried it might be wrong and I really need to be as exact as possible :). – Jade Elizabeth Dec 09 '14 at 15:00
  • Yes, 0.2396 is correct. There is no limit on decimals of a dollar. You are only held to two places when you actually handle coins or pay the final bill because the penny is the smallest unit available. – Ross Millikan Dec 09 '14 at 15:04
  • Thanks so much!! I'm getting really stressed out about my electricity bill. No matter what I do I cannot get to the same amounts they are, even if I do round up... I'm $6 off and I am pretty sure I am being overcharged :(. All of their rates include taxes so it's not that. I'm clueless. – Jade Elizabeth Dec 09 '14 at 15:34
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    In the US, gasoline is always quoted as $$x.xx9$ That is, prices always include $\frac 9{10}$ of a cent. It's been that way forever (it seems). – amWhy Dec 09 '14 at 15:35