When rounding numbers the result is less accurate, but easier to use. For example, if there were 39,828 spectators at a music concert the headline in a newspaper report might say 40,000 fans ...

When rounding to the nearest 1,000, numbers with 500 in the hundreds column are rounded up to the next thousand. For example, 1,500 would round up to 2,000. Numbers below 500 are rounded down.