"Full Coverage": Bounds

This worksheet is designed to cover one question of each type seen in past papers, for each
GCSE Higher Tier topic. This worksheet was automatically generated by the DrFrostMaths
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Question 1
Categorisation: Calculate a bound involving significant figures.

[Edexcel GCSE June2006-6H Q19aii]

The length of a rectangle is 6.7 cm, correct to 2 significant figures.

For the length of the rectangle write down the lower bound.

.......................... cm

Question 2
Categorisation: Calculate a bound involving rounding to the nearest whole.

[Edexcel GCSE June2006-3I Q17b, June2006-5H Q7b]

A gold necklace has a mass of 127 grams, correct to the nearest gram.

Write down the greatest possible mass of the necklace.

.......................... g

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Question 3
Categorisation: Calculate a bound involving rounding to some other specified value,
e.g. “nearest 10”.

Dave records the distance he drives to work, which was 15 km correct to the nearest 5 km.

What is the upper bound of the distance he travels?

.......................... km

Question 4
Categorisation: Determine an error interval.

[Edexcel GCSE(9-1) Mock Set 2 Spring 2017 2F Q20]

Lyn measures the length, 𝑥 cm, of a piece of string as 3.5 cm correct to the nearest millimetre.

Write down the error interval for 𝑥 .

..........................

Question 5
Categorisation: Find bounds for values rounded by truncation.

A number, truncated to 1 decimal place, is equal to 105.9 .

Write down the lower and upper bounds of the number.

Lower bound = ..........................

Upper bound = ..........................

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Question 6
Categorisation: Determine an error interval for a value rounded by truncation.

Martin makes a calculation on his calculator, and truncates the result to 2 decimal places, to
obtain 0.58 .

Write an error interval for his original result.

..........................

Question 7
Categorisation: Calculate a further bound for a given formula involving a
multiplication (and possibly powers).

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2007-6H Q23]

The mass 𝑀 grams of a cube with edges of length 𝐿 cm and density 𝐷 grams per 𝑐𝑚3 is
given by the formula

𝑀 = 𝐷𝐿3

𝐷 = 8 correct to 1 significant figure.𝐿 = 6.4 correct to 1 decimal place.

Calculate the upper bound of 𝑀 .

Give your answer correct to 2 significant figures.

..........................

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Question 8
Categorisation: Calculate a further bound for a given formula involving a
subtraction.

[Edexcel GCSE June2016-2H Q21 Edited]

𝐼 = 5(𝑣 − 𝑢)

𝑣 = 14 correct to 2 significant figures

𝑢 = 8.7 correct to 2 significant figures

Work out the upper bound for the value of 𝐼 .

..........................

Question 9
Categorisation: Calculate a further bound for a given formula involving multiple
arithmetic operations.

𝑥 , 𝑦 , 𝑧 and 𝑤 are related by the equation:

𝑦
𝑥=
𝑧−𝑤

𝑦 is 20 when rounded to the nearest whole.𝑧 is 4.8 when rounded to 1 decimal

place.𝑤 is 2.4 when rounded to 1 decimal place.

Determine the upper bound of 𝑥 , rounding your answer to 2 decimal places.

..........................

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Question 10
Categorisation: Calculate a further bound, and be able to specify it to “a suitable
degree of accuracy” (Hint: using your lower and upper bound, keep increasing the
accuracy of both until the bounds are the same value)

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2009-4H Q28 Edited]

𝑎
𝑣=√
𝑏

𝑥 = 6.43 correct to 2 decimal places.

𝑏 = 5.514 correct to 3 decimal places.

By considering bounds, work out the value of 𝑣 to a suitable degree of accuracy, justifying
your answer.

..........................

Question 11
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of perimeter.

[Edexcel GCSE June2010-4H Q21b]

A field is in the shape of a rectangle.

The width of the field is 28 metres, measured to the nearest metre.
The length of the field is 145 metres, measured to the nearest 5 metres.

Work out the upper bound for the perimeter of the field.

.......................... m

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Question 12
Categorisation: Use bounds in a trigonometric context.

[Edexcel GCSE June2003-6H Q16b Edited]

Elliot did an experiment to find the value of 𝑔 m/𝑠 2 , the acceleration due to gravity. He
measured the time, 𝑇 seconds, that a block took to slide 𝐿 m down a smooth slope of angle 𝑥 °
.

He then used the formula

2𝐿
𝑔=
𝑇2 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝑥

to calculate an estimate for 𝑔 .

𝑇 = 1.3 correct to 1 decimal place.𝐿 = 4.50 correct to 2 decimal places.𝑥 = 30

correct to the nearest integer.

Lower bound of 𝑔 = 9.719...

Upper bound of 𝑔 = 11.710...

Use these answers to write down the value of 𝑔 to a suitable degree of accuracy. Explain your
reasoning.

..........................

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Question 13
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of the area of circles.

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2005-6H Q14b]

𝑂 is the centre of both circle. The radius of the outer circle is 𝑅 cm.
The radius of the inner circle is 𝑟 cm.𝑅 = 15.8 correct to 1 decimal place.𝑟 = 14.2
correct to 1 decimal place.

The upper bound for the area, in 𝑐𝑚2 , of the shaded region is 𝑘𝜋 .

Find the exact value of 𝑘 .

𝑘 = ..........................

Question 14
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of the area of rectangles.

[Edexcel GCSE June2006-6H Q19bi]

The length of a rectangle is 6.7 cm, correct to 2 significant figures. The area of the rectangle is
26.9 𝑐𝑚2 , correct to 3 significant figures.

Calculate the upper bound for the width of the rectangle.

Write down all the figures on your calculator display.

.......................... cm

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Question 15
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of volume.

[Edexcel GCSE(9-1) Mock Set 2 Spring 2017 2H Q17 Edited]

The diagram shows Helen’s fish tank. The fish tank is in the shape of a cuboid.

All the dimensions are correct to the nearest centimetre.

Helen is going to use a bucket to fill the fish tank completely with water.
There are 14 litres, correct to the nearest litre, of water in a full bucket.

What's the maximum number of buckets required to fill the tank?

Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

.......................... buckets (1dp)

Question 16
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of speed-distance-time.

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2014-2H Q23 Edited]

A road is 4530 m long, correct to the nearest 10 metres.

Kirsty drove along the road in 205 seconds, correct to the nearest 5 seconds.

The average speed limit for the road is 80 km/h.

What is greatest Kirsty's speed could have been?

Give your answer correct to 1 decimal place.

.......................... km/h

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Question 17
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of gradient.

[Edexcel GCSE Nov2006-6H Q21ai]

In triangle ABC, angle ABC = 90°

AB = 5.3 cm, correct to 2 significant figures. BC = 4.8 cm, correct to 2 significant figures.

The base, AB, of the triangle is horizontal. Calculate the lower bound for the gradient of the
line AC.

..........................

Question 18
Categorisation: Use bounds in the context of Pythagoras.

In the following diagram, 𝑎 is 3cm correct to the nearest cm, and 𝑏 is 4cm correct to the
nearest cm. Determine the upper bound of 𝑐 , giving your answer to 5 decimal places.

.......................... cm

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Answers

Question 1
6.65 cm

Question 2
127.5 g

Question 3
17.5 km

Question 4
3.45 ≤ 𝑥 < 3.55

Question 5
Lower bound = 105.9 and Upper bound = 106

Question 6
𝑥 ≥ 0.58 or 𝑥 < 0.59

Question 7
2300

Question 8
29.25

Question 9
8.91

Question 10
1.08 , “both bounds agree to 2 decimal places”

Question 11
352 m

Question 12
"10" and "the bounds both agree to the nearest whole”

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Question 13
𝑘 = 51

Question 14
4.05263 cm

Question 15
25.5 buckets (1dp)

Question 16
80.6 km/h

Question 17
0.88

Question 18
5.70088 cm

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