Compatible Numbers Calculator

Our compatible numbers calculator is here to help you perform arithmetic calculations using compatible numbers. Our calculator will help you find compatible numbers for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

If you are wondering what compatible numbers are and how to use compatible numbers to estimate arithmetic operations, you've come to the right place! In the article below, we shall discuss compatible numbers and their applications with examples.

We often encounter problems that require arithmetic calculations, like adding or subtracting the cost of items you want to buy. We may not always have a calculator at hand, so performing quick math in your head is valuable. The compatible number is a trick to help you make these mental calculations quickly if some error is acceptable.

A compatible number is a fair approximation of a true value, but is easier to use in quick mental arithmetic.

For example, say you have $150 and want to purchase three items that cost $79, $24, and $39, respectively. Adding $79+24+39$ in your head quickly can be tricky. However, you could approximate the addition as $80+25+40 = 145$, which is much faster and only slightly inaccurate. And just like that, you know that these items are within your budget!😉

In this example, the numbers (80, 25, 40) are the compatible numbers for (75, 24, 39). Each arithmetic operation can have different sets of compatible numbers. Let's look at each of them in the following sections.

Adding two numbers is easier if they end with the digits $0$ or $5$. For example, adding $25 + 50 = 75$ is easier than adding $24 + 48 = 72$.

So when seeking compatible numbers for addition, rounding numbers to the nearest multiple of five or ten is the easiest option. For larger numbers, you could also round to the nearest hundred, thousand, or ten-thousand, etc. It depends on how much error is acceptable for your calculation.

Let's see an example of compatible numbers for addition: $458 + 673$. Below, we've done it the old-fashioned way, carrying ones over as necessary.

This is quite a hassle to do in your head quickly. But, if we rounded to the nearest ten, we'd get the compatible numbers $460 + 670$, which are added as follows:

This is much easier than the original calculation, and the error is small enough to be acceptable in most cases. Let's take a look at the compatible numbers we obtain by rounding our original numbers to the nearest hundred (i.e., $500 + 700$):

This calculation is even easier to do in our heads than rounding to the nearest ten, but there is a sizable error. Whether this is acceptable or not differs from case to case.

Similarly, "rounding" to the nearest multiple of five will give us numbers that are easy to add. $458 + 673$ becomes $460 + 675$:

See how easy it is to estimate using compatible numbers instead of performing the actual calculation?

Similar to addition, subtracting numbers whose last digit is $0$ is easier to do in our heads. Let's look at a compatible numbers example with the same numbers, $673 - 458$:

We had to move a ten over to the $3$ to obtain $13$ — So much effort for such a simple equation!

If we rounded to the nearest ten, we'd get the compatible numbers $670 - 460$, which makes for a simpler subtraction:

Again, we can round to the nearest hundreds to get another set of compatible numbers $700 - 500$, which makes it even simpler:

Notice that the error is more significant for this set.

There is another guideline we can use to obtain compatible numbers for subtraction - if the numbers have the same last digit, the last digits will cancel each other out to become zero, making the calculation easier. So, if we can approximate our terms to numbers with the same last digit, we can simplify our mental process.

As an example, for the same numbers $673 - 458$, one set of compatible numbers would be $673 - 453$:

Yet another set of compatible numbers would be $678 - 458$:

Notice that the error remains the same for both sets!

When choosing compatible numbers for multiplication, we need to remember that numbers ending with one or more zeros are easier to multiply.

Consider the numbers $47 \times 14$:

Rounding the numbers to the nearest ten, we get the compatible numbers for multiplication $50 \times 10$ :

The error is much bigger this time, which may or may not be acceptable for your purposes. Act accordingly!

Finding compatible numbers for division is similar to that of multiplication: choose numbers with one or more zeros in the last digits.

Dividing the numbers $47 \div 14$ gives us $3.3$, but getting there isn't easy:

However, rounding the numbers to the nearest tens, we get $50 \div 10$, which we can easily calculate: $50 \div 10 = 5$!

Our compatible numbers calculator is simple to use:

1. Select the arithmetic operation for which you seek compatible numbers. You can choose between:

   1. Addition
   2. Subtraction
   3. Multiplication
   4. Division

2. Enter the numbers for which you seek compatible numbers. You must enter at least two numbers for our calculator to work.

   • For addition, subtraction, and multiplication, you can enter up to 10 numbers. Additional fields will appear as you enter values for existing fields.

   • In subtraction, enter the number you want to subtract from in the #1 position. The calculator will subtract in the following manner: #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 -....-#10.

   • If you seek compatible numbers for division, you can enter two numbers, with #1 being the dividend and #2 as the divisor.

3. Our compatible numbers calculator will display different sets of numbers that you can use for your arithmetic operations.

The compatible numbers for adding 66 and 58 are (70, 60) and (65, 60). To obtain this answer, follow these steps:

1. Round the numbers to the nearest ten: 66 → 70; 58 → 60.
2. Round the numbers to the closest multiple of five: 66 → 65; 58 → 60.
3. Verify your results with our compatible numbers calculator.

The compatible numbers for dividing 72 and 19 are (70, 20). To arrive at this answer, follow this simple step:

• Round the numbers to the nearest ten: 72 → 70; 19 → 20.

Our compatible numbers calculator will help you verify this result.

Yes. Numbers that end with the same digit are compatible for subtraction since the last digits cancel each other out to leave behind a zero. Here, 72 and 32 have the same last digit (2), so they are compatible for subtraction.

The easiest method to find compatible numbers for any arithmetic operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division) is to round the numbers to their nearest ten. Numbers with zero in the last digit are easy to calculate quickly in our heads.